The coming judgement and the prior conversion of many

Date 04 02 23 Text Zephaniah 3:1-13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I want us to begin this evening to look at Zephaniah 3. So far we have looked at the first two chapters and so far judgment has very much been the theme.

First, we thought about the universal judgment that is going to come on this earth and then about the judgment of Judah, which anticipates it. Then we considered the fact that this judgment, the Day of the LORD, is near. It won't be long before God will punish the powerful and the idolatrous and the complacent and they will lose everything. A day of wrath, anguish, ruin, gloom and war is fast approaching. We need to be ready.

Then last week we looked at Chapter 2 and we considered the importance of being humble and obedient and humbly seeking God and his righteousness, as we prepare for God's judgment. We then considered the words of judgment pronounced on the proud nations to the west, east, south and north of Israel and the promise of a great reversal and of the restoration of God's people.

In Chapter 3 judgment is once again a main theme – judgment on the nations and on God's people. However, there is also, most interestingly, a wonderful promise that before God judges the nations he will convert them and save them and a remnant among the Jews too.

So we will go as far as verse 13 tonight and say three main things from those verses, 1-13.

1. Consider how deserved is God's judgment on his people and run from all such sins

In the first eight verses the theme is still very much that of judgment. In verses 1-5, it is made clear why God's people deserve judgment. We do well to consider what is said here and ask ourselves if we are guilty of any of the sins that are highlighted.

1. Consider the sins that characterised God's professed people and turn from them

1 Oppression, rebellion and defilement

The chapter begins Woe to the city of oppressors. Jerusalem was supposed to be the city of peace but it was full at this time of people who oppressed others. They crushed them, they took advantage of them. London today is full of the same sort of thing. It should not be. Jerusalem was also rebellious. There were many rebels there, people who threw off the shackles. This is the opposite problem to oppression, again common in London, where, far from being oppressed, many people reject any kind of authority. and defiled! The people were unclean, polluted, not just ceremonially but morally. They were soiled and sullied, impure, dirty. Again, a common state of affairs in our day. We must run from all such sins

2 Disobedience

Verse 2 begins She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. There was an unwillingness to do right as it is laid down in God's law and an unwillingness to change in order to do good. We see this everywhere today. “Why should I change?” they say and press on in their disobedience. They will not accept God's word.

3 Lack of faith

And this is the worst of it 2b She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. For all the religion there was in Jerusalem, there was no trust in the LORD, in the true God, no drawing near to him. They would turn anywhere else rather than turn to the Lord. By nature, we all turn from God, we run from him. Now that is how it was in Jerusalem – anything to avoid drawing near to Almighty God.

Spurgeon illustrated faith well when he said in a sermon

Your condition is like that of a child in a burning house, who, having escaped to the edge of the window, hung on by the windowsill. The flames were pouring out of the window underneath, and the poor lad would soon be burned, or falling would be dashed to pieces. He therefore held on with the clutch of death. He did not dare to relax his grasp until a strong man stood underneath, and said, “Boy! Drop! Drop! I’ll catch you.” Now, it was no saving faith for the boy to believe that the man was strong - that was a good help toward faith - but he might have known that and yet have perished. It was faith when the boy let go and dropped down into his big friend’s arms.

There are you, sinner, clinging to your sins or to your good works. The Saviour cries, “Drop! Drop into my arms!” It is not doing, it is leaving off doing. It is not working, it is trusting in that work which Jesus has already done. Trust! That is the word—simple, solid, hearty, earnest trust. Trust and it will not take an hour to save you, the moment you trust you are saved.

So what about us? Are we oppressors, rebellious, impure, disobedient, lacking in faith? Where is the spirit of service to others, submission to God and obedience to him, the spirit of purity and faith? Without these, surely we deserve God's judgment.

2. Note the sins of the rulers, prophets and priests and turn from them

In verses 3 and 4 Zephaniah turns his attention to the leaders of society. He begins with the court, the king and his courtiers. He also speaks of the prophets and the priests of his day. What he has to say about them is not good. Those who should have been taking the lead in obedience and faith were in fact doing the very opposite.

3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. They were using their authority to abuse others. They threw their weight about and were driven by greed. We see it in our own day – not only in the state but in families and in churches too. It is often those with power who are in the wrong. It ought not to be the case.

Then in verse 4 he says Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. It was the calling of the prophets to speak up when the court was corrupt and point out its failings but the prophets (apart from Zephaniah) were unprincipled and treacherous and did nothing to speak up against the corruption that was all around. As for the priests in the temple, they served only to profane the sanctuary and far from teaching and upholding God's law, they did the very opposite.

And so today, we see not only wickedness in high places but a failure to speak out against it and those who should be upholding truth and purity doing nothing to protect it.

3. Consider the righteousness of God and how it contrasts with the failure of his people

In verse 5 we are reminded that nevertheless The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. That is not where the problem lies. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet and this is where the problem lies the unrighteous know no shame. They should be ashamed of their corrupt and sinful ways but they are not. They fail to blush.

How ashamed we should be of our sins. We must turn from them.

2. Hear this call to wait patiently for God's judgment on the nations

As we have seen before, God's judgment begins with his own people but will extend to all the earth. And so we say

1. Expect God to judge the nations

6 “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.” The past tense is used – perhaps because attention is being drawn to what God has done to various nations in the past but I think it is more likely that this is what is called the prophetic past tense – future judgment is so certain that it is spoken of in terms of already having happened. Note those d words again – destroyed, demolished, deserted - I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. Be in no doubt this destruction is coming. How devastating it will be for all who do not repent.

2. Do not suppose that the professed people of God will escape God's judgment

It is tempting to comfort oneself by saying that judgment will fall only on unbelievers. But if we are tempted to think like that we need to recall that there will be judgment on God's people, also. Look at verse 7 Of Jerusalem I thought, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Surely knowing God's attitude to the nations his own people would automatically fear God and be corrected. But no, not so. Yet there is no escape for anyone simply because they say they belong to God's people. There has to be a reality to that profession. Where is the fear of God? Where is the willingness to be corrected? Where is a forsaking of corruption? Without these judgment is bound to come and to find its mark.

3. Wait for the LORD and the day when he will judge the whole world

Verse 8 then is a call for patience. “Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. Sometimes we are tempted to wonder if the judgment will ever come. Be in no doubt, it will. God says plainly I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and what will he do when they are gathered? And to pour out my wrath on them - all my fierce anger. Yes, be in no doubt, at times God has dealt with the nations most powerfully and a day is coming when indeed The whole world will be consumed by the fire of God's jealous anger. As 2 Peter 3:10 has it But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

One writer speaks of waiting like this. He says

It isn’t easy to wait. It demands persistence when common sense says “give up.” It says “believe” when there is no present evidence to back it up. Faith is forged in delay. Character is forged in delay. The forge is the gap between the promise and the fulfilment. As gold is purified and shaped in the white-hot heat of a forge, so we and our faith are purified and shaped in waiting.

3. Realise that before the great judgment God will convert the nations and the Jews

Finally, in verses 9-13 there is a tremendous word of hope regarding the nations and the Jews. Not all of them, it is true, but many indeed. Two things

1. Realise that before that time God will cause many Gentiles to call on his name and serve him

9, 10 Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshippers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. It is put in Old Testament terms but the promise is that God will purify the lips of Gentiles and cause them to call on the name of the LORD and to serve God shoulder to shoulder with his people. They will become his worshippers and bring him offerings, these scattered people beyond Cush and wherever.

We have begun to see that with waves of Christians in the Middle East, in Europe and in Africa and now in China. People are calling on the LORD's name in their own tongue. They are worshipping God in place after place. Pray that there will be more and more who do that.

2. Realise that God's people will be humbled and revived

Now in the midst of reaching out to Gentiles, it is important that we do not forget the Jews. In a similar way, when we reach out to unbelievers, we must remember those who are growing up with these things too. 11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, God says because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. In many cases God will remove the proud from his people, the unbelieving. Let's expect that. Further,

12, 13 But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. There will be a humble and meer remnant who believe. What will they be like? The very opposite of the unbelieving and disobedient spoken of before. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. Further They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. This is the laying down in green pastures and being led beside quiet waters spoken of in Psalm 23. It is possible because God's people have a shepherd, Jesus Christ. He cares for them and because of him, they need never fear.