1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,569 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,697 --> 00:00:06,593 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,689 --> 00:00:09,657 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,681 --> 00:00:10,685 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,985 --> 00:00:14,625 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,665 --> 00:00:16,245 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,745 --> 00:00:20,145 Now, come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,185 --> 00:00:21,765 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,545 --> 00:00:27,137 All right, we're going to go ahead and continue our Bible study 10 00:00:27,201 --> 00:00:29,241 in the book of Zephaniah. 11 00:00:29,433 --> 00:00:34,121 And I've really enjoyed this as I've been studying through this 12 00:00:34,153 --> 00:00:34,345 book. 13 00:00:34,385 --> 00:00:38,025 It's a short book, but I think there's a lot to learn when it comes 14 00:00:38,065 --> 00:00:43,753 to God's justice and his forgiveness and his mercy. 15 00:00:43,929 --> 00:00:47,361 And one of the attributes of God that I'm very thankful for is 16 00:00:47,393 --> 00:00:48,645 his long suffering. 17 00:00:49,745 --> 00:00:53,647 He's a long suffering, merciful God who is willing to be 18 00:00:53,671 --> 00:00:54,655 patient with us. 19 00:00:54,815 --> 00:00:59,095 And so I'm thankful for his patience in my life, and I'm thankful 20 00:00:59,255 --> 00:01:02,623 that he hasn't given up on me yet, and he hasn't given up on the 21 00:01:02,719 --> 00:01:03,591 nation of Israel. 22 00:01:03,663 --> 00:01:08,111 And we know that even though he's addressing their sin here in 23 00:01:08,183 --> 00:01:11,663 this passage of Scripture, and we're going to see at the end of 24 00:01:11,759 --> 00:01:16,591 this book that there is a plan for restoration, actually a promise 25 00:01:16,783 --> 00:01:18,103 for restoration. 26 00:01:18,279 --> 00:01:22,055 And that's a beautiful thing that God would still allow these 27 00:01:22,095 --> 00:01:25,041 people who have been rebellious, these people who have 28 00:01:25,073 --> 00:01:28,033 rejected him, to still have that hope of salvation. 29 00:01:28,089 --> 00:01:29,721 And that's what it is to us today. 30 00:01:29,833 --> 00:01:33,705 I mean, think about throughout history, how many people have rejected 31 00:01:33,745 --> 00:01:37,241 the Lord, but yet he still offers mankind that gift of grace. 32 00:01:37,433 --> 00:01:40,385 And, you know, a lot of people will ask the question, how long? 33 00:01:40,505 --> 00:01:42,529 How long is God going to extend this grace? 34 00:01:42,577 --> 00:01:45,937 Well, we don't know, but we want to continue to utilize that 35 00:01:45,961 --> 00:01:46,145 time. 36 00:01:46,185 --> 00:01:50,297 The Bible says in the New Testament, redeeming the time because 37 00:01:50,321 --> 00:01:51,097 the days are evil. 38 00:01:51,161 --> 00:01:54,985 And so we don't know how long we have to present the gospel message 39 00:01:55,025 --> 00:01:56,033 to people around us. 40 00:01:56,089 --> 00:01:59,377 But nonetheless, we have been given this time for an opportunity 41 00:01:59,441 --> 00:02:00,273 to do that. 42 00:02:00,329 --> 00:02:03,601 So, Zephaniah, chapter three, if you have your Bibles, turn there 43 00:02:03,633 --> 00:02:04,441 with me. 44 00:02:04,633 --> 00:02:05,777 Zephaniah, chapter three. 45 00:02:05,801 --> 00:02:08,885 We're going to get through as much as we can here this evening. 46 00:02:09,985 --> 00:02:12,513 Last week, if you remember, if you were here, if you weren't here, 47 00:02:12,529 --> 00:02:14,041 I'll try to catch you up with this. 48 00:02:14,193 --> 00:02:18,521 Last week we looked at God's judgment to the nations outside of 49 00:02:18,553 --> 00:02:19,209 Israel, right? 50 00:02:19,257 --> 00:02:23,241 So we know that at this point in time, Israel is split into two 51 00:02:23,273 --> 00:02:26,393 kingdoms, the northern kingdom, which has already been judged 52 00:02:26,449 --> 00:02:28,721 by God because of their rebellion. 53 00:02:28,833 --> 00:02:32,001 And then you have the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah, which 54 00:02:32,033 --> 00:02:36,881 at this point in time had not been completely judged by God through 55 00:02:36,993 --> 00:02:39,169 the oppression of outsiders. 56 00:02:39,217 --> 00:02:42,385 But he's promising that judgment if they continue on in that 57 00:02:42,425 --> 00:02:42,905 path. 58 00:02:43,025 --> 00:02:46,049 But then we see that God says, hey, nobody's getting away with this. 59 00:02:46,097 --> 00:02:47,889 Nobody is going to get away with rebellion. 60 00:02:48,017 --> 00:02:51,725 And so he started to list all these different nations geographically 61 00:02:51,805 --> 00:02:52,709 around Israel. 62 00:02:52,757 --> 00:02:54,973 And he mentioned, okay, because of this, they're going to 63 00:02:54,989 --> 00:02:55,373 be judged. 64 00:02:55,429 --> 00:02:57,261 Because of their rebellion, they're going to be judged. 65 00:02:57,293 --> 00:03:00,909 And ultimately it was the fact that none of them turned to the Lord. 66 00:03:00,957 --> 00:03:02,717 They were in their pride. 67 00:03:02,861 --> 00:03:07,197 And we saw that the defining elements of these individuals that 68 00:03:07,221 --> 00:03:10,069 God was going to judge was that they were stuck in their pride. 69 00:03:10,117 --> 00:03:12,941 And in their pride, they were not willing to humble themselves 70 00:03:13,093 --> 00:03:15,797 and come to God for His mercy and his grace. 71 00:03:15,901 --> 00:03:21,369 And the Bible says that we must have meekness, humility to understand 72 00:03:21,457 --> 00:03:22,033 God's grace. 73 00:03:22,089 --> 00:03:25,937 We cannot come to him in our pride, and we cannot come to him 74 00:03:26,001 --> 00:03:29,993 in our selfishness and say, lord, okay, I've got it under control, 75 00:03:30,049 --> 00:03:31,025 but now just bless me. 76 00:03:31,065 --> 00:03:32,721 That's not the way that it works. 77 00:03:32,873 --> 00:03:35,937 And we even saw that he listed out this city called Nineveh, which 78 00:03:35,961 --> 00:03:39,825 Nineveh was the capital city of the place at the time. 79 00:03:39,945 --> 00:03:41,985 And he says, hey, you guys think that you have it all under 80 00:03:42,025 --> 00:03:42,297 control. 81 00:03:42,361 --> 00:03:45,473 You think that you have all the riches, you think you have all 82 00:03:45,529 --> 00:03:50,259 of the power, but God is going to lower you down to a level of complete 83 00:03:50,307 --> 00:03:51,331 desolation. 84 00:03:51,523 --> 00:03:56,515 And so he says, okay, Judah, Jerusalem, there's going to be judgment. 85 00:03:56,635 --> 00:03:59,627 But don't think it's just you, it's everybody. 86 00:03:59,731 --> 00:04:04,083 And now he comes back and puts his focus on Judah, specifically 87 00:04:04,219 --> 00:04:07,131 the capital city of Judah, which would be Jerusalem. 88 00:04:07,283 --> 00:04:10,675 And so what we're going to see here is that he describes Jerusalem 89 00:04:10,715 --> 00:04:12,699 here in the first few verses. 90 00:04:12,787 --> 00:04:16,145 And it sounds like he's describing Nineveh, but really he's 91 00:04:16,185 --> 00:04:19,769 describing the city that claims to be the capital of God's 92 00:04:19,817 --> 00:04:20,361 people. 93 00:04:20,513 --> 00:04:24,905 And so he says here in verse one, woe to her that is filthy and 94 00:04:24,945 --> 00:04:28,365 polluted to the oppressing city. 95 00:04:28,785 --> 00:04:32,657 And so when he says her, he's personifying the city of Jerusalem 96 00:04:32,721 --> 00:04:33,481 as a lady. 97 00:04:33,513 --> 00:04:37,201 And he says she, this city of Jerusalem is wicked. 98 00:04:37,393 --> 00:04:38,841 They are oppressing. 99 00:04:38,993 --> 00:04:41,487 They are filthy and polluted. 100 00:04:41,681 --> 00:04:45,259 And so from the way Zephaniah mentioned all these cities before, 101 00:04:45,307 --> 00:04:48,499 we would think that he's talking about Nineveh or the Philistines. 102 00:04:48,587 --> 00:04:52,355 No, he's talking about Jerusalem and he's talking about 103 00:04:52,395 --> 00:04:55,307 that because we see the people that he lists here. 104 00:04:55,331 --> 00:04:58,171 And he's going to list the prophets, he's going to list the 105 00:04:58,203 --> 00:05:00,955 priest, he's going to list the sanctuary, he's going to list the 106 00:05:00,995 --> 00:05:03,291 law, and he's going to say, hey, these are all the things that 107 00:05:03,323 --> 00:05:04,891 I have against you right now. 108 00:05:05,043 --> 00:05:08,211 And so he's talking to his people that claim to be those that 109 00:05:08,243 --> 00:05:08,939 worship him. 110 00:05:09,027 --> 00:05:12,387 Now, remember back in Zephaniah, Chapter 1, one of the 111 00:05:12,411 --> 00:05:14,771 things that God said that he would judge would be people that 112 00:05:14,803 --> 00:05:16,363 would say one thing and then do another. 113 00:05:16,419 --> 00:05:17,415 Hypocrites. 114 00:05:17,715 --> 00:05:20,475 They say that they love God, but yet their actions don't follow 115 00:05:20,515 --> 00:05:20,811 that. 116 00:05:20,883 --> 00:05:23,579 They say they worship God, but their actions don't follow that. 117 00:05:23,667 --> 00:05:25,075 So he says, I have a big problem with that. 118 00:05:25,115 --> 00:05:26,907 People that say one thing and do another. 119 00:05:27,051 --> 00:05:29,483 So now he's going to tell them what they really are. 120 00:05:29,659 --> 00:05:35,653 He says, she obeyed not the voice, she received not correction. 121 00:05:35,749 --> 00:05:36,597 So whose voice? 122 00:05:36,661 --> 00:05:37,573 God's voice. 123 00:05:37,749 --> 00:05:38,133 So? 124 00:05:38,189 --> 00:05:43,405 So they've closed their ears, they've stopped listening, and they've 125 00:05:43,445 --> 00:05:45,189 stopped obeying God. 126 00:05:45,237 --> 00:05:46,933 And what he has called them to do. 127 00:05:47,109 --> 00:05:50,301 It says, she received not correction. 128 00:05:50,493 --> 00:05:53,669 So they're rejecting the correction of God, which is a dangerous 129 00:05:53,717 --> 00:05:54,701 place to be. 130 00:05:54,893 --> 00:05:57,453 It's one thing to live in ignorance, it's another thing to 131 00:05:57,509 --> 00:06:00,809 hear what God has said and then reject him in that. 132 00:06:00,957 --> 00:06:02,001 That's a scorner. 133 00:06:02,113 --> 00:06:06,777 The Bible talks about that in the Book of Psalms, chapter one, 134 00:06:06,881 --> 00:06:07,525 right? 135 00:06:07,945 --> 00:06:09,561 Don't sit in the seat of the scorner. 136 00:06:09,633 --> 00:06:12,641 The scorner is someone who knows the truth of God, but yet rejects 137 00:06:12,673 --> 00:06:14,609 that, that hates the truth of God. 138 00:06:14,777 --> 00:06:19,401 So he says, they don't obey God's voice, they don't receive correction. 139 00:06:19,553 --> 00:06:22,009 She trusted not in the Lord. 140 00:06:22,057 --> 00:06:28,609 They lacked faith, so they lack obedience, they lack correction, 141 00:06:28,657 --> 00:06:31,953 they lack the change or what we would say on Sunday morning. 142 00:06:32,009 --> 00:06:35,325 They lack the repentance to follow in that correction. 143 00:06:35,705 --> 00:06:37,081 And then they lack faith. 144 00:06:37,153 --> 00:06:38,925 She trusted not in the Lord. 145 00:06:39,505 --> 00:06:44,553 And then what we see here is really the biggest offense, the most 146 00:06:44,649 --> 00:06:46,177 serious offense. 147 00:06:46,361 --> 00:06:48,865 And it's there at the end of verse two. 148 00:06:49,025 --> 00:06:52,045 She drew not near to her God. 149 00:06:52,955 --> 00:06:57,251 And so he repeats here four times where he says, they did not 150 00:06:57,283 --> 00:06:58,827 do this, they did not do this. 151 00:06:58,891 --> 00:07:02,307 They did not do this, they did not do this right four times. 152 00:07:02,451 --> 00:07:06,123 And so in repeating these four phrases, the prophet here, Zephaniah, 153 00:07:06,179 --> 00:07:10,763 tells Jerusalem the city the root of their problem. 154 00:07:10,939 --> 00:07:15,507 They didn't obey his voice, they did not receive correction. 155 00:07:15,691 --> 00:07:17,459 They did not trust the Lord. 156 00:07:17,627 --> 00:07:20,433 And the worst offense of all was saved for last. 157 00:07:20,619 --> 00:07:23,309 God wanted a relationship with them. 158 00:07:23,437 --> 00:07:27,141 God has, from the very beginning, desired to have a relationship 159 00:07:27,173 --> 00:07:27,869 with people. 160 00:07:27,997 --> 00:07:29,413 He doesn't want to force people. 161 00:07:29,469 --> 00:07:31,205 He doesn't want robots following him. 162 00:07:31,245 --> 00:07:33,629 He wants people to choose him in love. 163 00:07:33,677 --> 00:07:35,253 And so what we see here is this. 164 00:07:35,349 --> 00:07:37,741 He goes, hey, you don't seek after me. 165 00:07:37,853 --> 00:07:41,237 You don't long for that relationship that I want with you. 166 00:07:41,421 --> 00:07:44,797 And so they rejected his desire and went their own way. 167 00:07:44,821 --> 00:07:47,647 And he says, that's your deepest issue, right? 168 00:07:47,671 --> 00:07:50,351 The obedience stems from that relationship. 169 00:07:50,503 --> 00:07:53,715 You listening to correction stems from that relationship. 170 00:07:54,455 --> 00:07:57,399 You know, your trust stems from that relationship. 171 00:07:57,527 --> 00:07:57,839 So. 172 00:07:57,887 --> 00:08:00,847 So you're not going to be able to listen to the Lord and obey him 173 00:08:00,951 --> 00:08:04,311 and follow his correction and trust him if you have no relationship 174 00:08:04,343 --> 00:08:05,075 with him. 175 00:08:05,375 --> 00:08:08,255 Because we trust what we believe in. 176 00:08:08,295 --> 00:08:10,527 We trust what we love. 177 00:08:10,631 --> 00:08:13,367 And so what he's saying here is that there's a lack of love, there's 178 00:08:13,391 --> 00:08:16,945 a lack of a connection, there's no intimacy. 179 00:08:17,105 --> 00:08:19,325 And he says, that's the core issue. 180 00:08:19,625 --> 00:08:22,577 And so the reason why you're so far away, the reason why you're 181 00:08:22,601 --> 00:08:25,529 so far into your sin, the reason why there's this judgment, 182 00:08:25,577 --> 00:08:29,777 the reason why this rebellion is taking root in this city is because 183 00:08:29,961 --> 00:08:32,285 there is no relationship with God anymore. 184 00:08:32,985 --> 00:08:37,497 And so correction, it came, but the city did not receive it. 185 00:08:37,521 --> 00:08:39,285 The people did not receive it. 186 00:08:39,715 --> 00:08:42,603 Instead, it was something that they would say is, well, these are 187 00:08:42,619 --> 00:08:45,971 just tough circumstances or, you know, things are coming against 188 00:08:46,003 --> 00:08:46,171 us. 189 00:08:46,203 --> 00:08:46,651 These other. 190 00:08:46,723 --> 00:08:48,155 They're blaming other people, right? 191 00:08:48,235 --> 00:08:49,815 They're blaming other things. 192 00:08:50,835 --> 00:08:53,995 And so God never gave them a reason to stop trusting. 193 00:08:54,115 --> 00:08:56,971 He never proved himself unfaithful, and he doesn't prove 194 00:08:57,003 --> 00:08:58,547 himself unfaithful to us. 195 00:08:58,731 --> 00:09:01,459 Over and over again, we can see God's faithfulness, yet still 196 00:09:01,507 --> 00:09:03,691 there are people that are going to reject him. 197 00:09:03,883 --> 00:09:07,747 And now they're openly denying him and contradicting his word and 198 00:09:07,771 --> 00:09:08,387 his promises. 199 00:09:08,451 --> 00:09:10,853 And so therefore, they're coming to a place in their life where 200 00:09:10,869 --> 00:09:12,013 they lack faith. 201 00:09:12,189 --> 00:09:14,405 And that all goes back to that relationship. 202 00:09:14,445 --> 00:09:16,397 So for us, what does that look like today? 203 00:09:16,581 --> 00:09:17,445 That looks like this. 204 00:09:17,485 --> 00:09:21,189 You know, if we are not seeking after God in a personal way, 205 00:09:21,277 --> 00:09:24,357 in an intimate way, in a loving way, we are going to fall 206 00:09:24,381 --> 00:09:26,413 into the same trap of not trusting the Lord. 207 00:09:26,509 --> 00:09:27,865 We're going to lack faith. 208 00:09:28,285 --> 00:09:30,145 We're not going to receive his counsel. 209 00:09:30,845 --> 00:09:33,261 We're not going to get to a place in our life where we're hearing 210 00:09:33,293 --> 00:09:34,621 him and obeying Him. 211 00:09:34,773 --> 00:09:38,357 Because I think that a lot of times in our life we flip that we 212 00:09:38,381 --> 00:09:40,781 say, well, you know, I need to just really work hard in obeying 213 00:09:40,813 --> 00:09:41,005 Him. 214 00:09:41,045 --> 00:09:42,501 Well, that is true. 215 00:09:42,693 --> 00:09:45,717 But we're never going to desire to obey him unless we understand 216 00:09:45,781 --> 00:09:48,261 him and trust him and understand where he's coming from 217 00:09:48,293 --> 00:09:50,077 and understand his love for us. 218 00:09:50,261 --> 00:09:51,989 And so he says, draw near to me. 219 00:09:52,117 --> 00:09:56,781 If you go back to the very beginning, one of the issues that 220 00:09:56,813 --> 00:09:59,237 he had with them was that they were not drawing after him. 221 00:09:59,261 --> 00:10:01,025 They were not seeking after him. 222 00:10:01,645 --> 00:10:03,581 Zephaniah, Chapter two, verse three. 223 00:10:03,653 --> 00:10:04,445 Remember what he said? 224 00:10:04,485 --> 00:10:07,095 He said, seek ye the Lord. 225 00:10:07,595 --> 00:10:10,955 I think that could be the theme for Zephaniah's preaching, 226 00:10:10,995 --> 00:10:11,411 right? 227 00:10:11,523 --> 00:10:12,855 There's going to be judgment. 228 00:10:13,675 --> 00:10:16,899 There's chance for you to have redemption. 229 00:10:16,947 --> 00:10:18,859 There's a chance for you to have forgiveness. 230 00:10:18,987 --> 00:10:20,467 But what do you need to do? 231 00:10:20,571 --> 00:10:22,095 Seek ye the Lord. 232 00:10:22,515 --> 00:10:25,147 And so, if I could tell anybody today, you know, hey, what's 233 00:10:25,171 --> 00:10:28,259 the best advice to have a restored relationship with God? 234 00:10:28,347 --> 00:10:29,563 What's the best advice? 235 00:10:29,659 --> 00:10:31,307 And coming to a place of revival. 236 00:10:31,451 --> 00:10:32,707 What's the best advice? 237 00:10:32,771 --> 00:10:35,355 To come to a place in our life where we have that renewed strength 238 00:10:35,395 --> 00:10:35,795 in God. 239 00:10:35,835 --> 00:10:37,547 It's seeking the Lord. 240 00:10:37,651 --> 00:10:39,379 It's seeking His Word. 241 00:10:39,507 --> 00:10:42,971 It's seeking that private time with him, that alone time with Him. 242 00:10:43,003 --> 00:10:48,535 It's seeking a true, substantial prayer life. 243 00:10:48,875 --> 00:10:52,091 It's getting into the Word and digging deeper into the Word. 244 00:10:52,123 --> 00:10:55,547 Folks, I know that there have been times in my life where I have 245 00:10:55,691 --> 00:10:58,095 just read my Bible to check a box. 246 00:10:58,405 --> 00:11:00,421 Well, I better read my chapter today. 247 00:11:00,453 --> 00:11:03,589 I better read my devotional today because I don't want God to 248 00:11:03,597 --> 00:11:04,605 get upset with me. 249 00:11:04,725 --> 00:11:08,581 But yet there's no personal nature to that. 250 00:11:08,613 --> 00:11:10,357 There's no intimacy, there's no love there. 251 00:11:10,381 --> 00:11:12,181 It's just, well, I gotta check my box. 252 00:11:12,333 --> 00:11:13,381 And God never wants that. 253 00:11:13,413 --> 00:11:16,973 God wants that personal time in which we dig deeper into His Word. 254 00:11:17,109 --> 00:11:19,213 We mind the depths of Scripture. 255 00:11:19,389 --> 00:11:20,837 And so that's what he's calling them out on. 256 00:11:20,861 --> 00:11:23,699 He says, hey, you're not drawing near to me. 257 00:11:23,877 --> 00:11:27,191 Now we know what the promise is in James, chapter 4, verse 8. 258 00:11:27,303 --> 00:11:30,435 Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. 259 00:11:30,975 --> 00:11:34,591 That is what God has always wanted, for us to grow closer to 260 00:11:34,623 --> 00:11:37,727 him so that we can understand his presence in our life, so that 261 00:11:37,751 --> 00:11:41,431 we can understand his goodness and his love and how caring he is 262 00:11:41,463 --> 00:11:43,355 and how long suffering he is. 263 00:11:43,975 --> 00:11:47,799 And so to get to a place of restoration, to get to a place of 264 00:11:47,847 --> 00:11:52,785 revival, to get to a place of substantial change in our life, it 265 00:11:52,825 --> 00:11:55,705 has to be that we are seeking after Him. 266 00:11:55,825 --> 00:11:58,725 And if we're seeking after him, we seek after his word. 267 00:11:59,185 --> 00:12:03,889 And so there's that whole challenge there in those first four 268 00:12:03,937 --> 00:12:06,445 verses, he says her prophets are light. 269 00:12:06,945 --> 00:12:09,705 Now I was like, what is he talking about there when he says 270 00:12:09,785 --> 00:12:10,889 her prophets are light? 271 00:12:10,937 --> 00:12:13,825 Well, basically, it's a term for being fickle. 272 00:12:13,985 --> 00:12:16,291 It's a term for being wishy washy. 273 00:12:16,393 --> 00:12:19,515 Like, they're here one day, they're here the next day. 274 00:12:19,935 --> 00:12:23,391 They're feeling this about God today, but now tomorrow they're feeling 275 00:12:23,423 --> 00:12:24,567 this about God. 276 00:12:24,751 --> 00:12:28,479 And so it's characterizing people that are not staying steadfast 277 00:12:28,567 --> 00:12:29,855 in trusting in Him. 278 00:12:29,975 --> 00:12:33,783 They're kind of being blown about by the waves of the ocean. 279 00:12:33,919 --> 00:12:37,319 Their whims are being the fuel for their faith. 280 00:12:37,367 --> 00:12:41,775 And so what we can see here is that God doesn't want us to be wishy 281 00:12:41,815 --> 00:12:42,151 washy. 282 00:12:42,183 --> 00:12:44,181 He doesn't want us to be fickle. 283 00:12:44,213 --> 00:12:47,061 He wants us to be steadfast in our faith in Him. 284 00:12:47,093 --> 00:12:49,625 And so he says her prophets are light. 285 00:12:50,045 --> 00:12:52,573 And mind you, the prophets are the ones that are supposed to be 286 00:12:52,589 --> 00:12:53,725 the mouthpiece of God. 287 00:12:53,845 --> 00:12:56,157 The prophets are the one that are supposed to be preaching the 288 00:12:56,181 --> 00:12:57,421 truth to these people. 289 00:12:57,613 --> 00:13:01,045 But yet what we see is they've compromised because of whatever reason. 290 00:13:01,085 --> 00:13:04,197 And so it says here, her prophets are light and treacherous 291 00:13:04,381 --> 00:13:05,061 persons. 292 00:13:05,133 --> 00:13:11,047 Meaning this isn't just something that's small, insignificant. 293 00:13:11,111 --> 00:13:12,191 No, they're treacherous. 294 00:13:12,263 --> 00:13:13,575 This is a serious thing. 295 00:13:13,695 --> 00:13:15,895 They have bad intentions. 296 00:13:16,055 --> 00:13:17,239 And so we go a little bit further. 297 00:13:17,287 --> 00:13:22,439 Her priest, remember, priests are at that time period, the basically 298 00:13:22,487 --> 00:13:24,271 the mediators between God and man. 299 00:13:24,303 --> 00:13:26,463 So the prophet is the mouthpiece of God. 300 00:13:26,599 --> 00:13:29,455 Then the priests are the ones that are the mediators, right? 301 00:13:29,535 --> 00:13:32,871 So if I want to bring my sacrifice to God, I bring it to the 302 00:13:32,903 --> 00:13:33,175 priest. 303 00:13:33,215 --> 00:13:37,349 And then the priest then on my behalf offers that sacrifice. 304 00:13:37,397 --> 00:13:39,413 And so he talks about the prophets. 305 00:13:39,469 --> 00:13:41,101 Those are the ones that are speaking forth the truth. 306 00:13:41,133 --> 00:13:42,165 And he talks about the priests. 307 00:13:42,205 --> 00:13:45,825 He says her priests have polluted the sanctuary. 308 00:13:46,405 --> 00:13:47,837 Essentially, you could phrase it this way. 309 00:13:47,861 --> 00:13:52,225 The priests were having profane things in what is holy. 310 00:13:53,285 --> 00:13:57,157 So we have people that are no longer preaching the truth, but they 311 00:13:57,181 --> 00:14:00,213 are preaching lies and they're fickle and they're bouncing all over 312 00:14:00,229 --> 00:14:00,613 the place. 313 00:14:00,669 --> 00:14:04,227 And then we also have the people that should be having things 314 00:14:04,291 --> 00:14:07,475 sanctified, should be treating things holy in the sight of God, 315 00:14:07,515 --> 00:14:10,963 but yet have polluted that with evil things. 316 00:14:11,139 --> 00:14:14,251 And so we would say that these are people that have allowed the 317 00:14:14,363 --> 00:14:18,763 influence of the world, the pagan ways, to seep into their worship. 318 00:14:18,939 --> 00:14:22,855 And then he says they have done violence to the law. 319 00:14:23,955 --> 00:14:29,337 So not only have they violated their cultural norms, but they have 320 00:14:29,361 --> 00:14:33,625 now, at this point, violated the law of God, which is in their. 321 00:14:33,705 --> 00:14:35,473 In their sight, in their culture. 322 00:14:35,529 --> 00:14:36,281 That's the Word of God. 323 00:14:36,313 --> 00:14:37,585 That's the Bible, essentially. 324 00:14:37,665 --> 00:14:40,169 Now, of course, they didn't have the New Testament. 325 00:14:40,217 --> 00:14:41,681 They didn't have all the. 326 00:14:41,793 --> 00:14:43,321 All of the fulfilled Word of God. 327 00:14:43,353 --> 00:14:46,361 And so therefore, the Word of God was the law. 328 00:14:46,513 --> 00:14:52,585 And for them, they were disregarding the power and the truth 329 00:14:52,705 --> 00:14:53,925 of the Word of God. 330 00:14:54,715 --> 00:15:01,283 And any society, any culture, any person that begins to start to 331 00:15:01,339 --> 00:15:05,307 question the validity of the Word of God, the power of the Word 332 00:15:05,331 --> 00:15:10,827 of God, will eventually, if not stopped and changed, will get 333 00:15:10,851 --> 00:15:15,683 to a place where they not only violate the law, but then they begin 334 00:15:15,739 --> 00:15:17,715 to change the Word. 335 00:15:17,795 --> 00:15:21,005 They begin to add to the Word, they begin to take away from it. 336 00:15:21,155 --> 00:15:24,561 And so this is what's happening here in this society back 337 00:15:24,593 --> 00:15:24,785 then. 338 00:15:24,825 --> 00:15:28,045 And so they have questioned the Word of God. 339 00:15:28,385 --> 00:15:30,209 So first four verses. 340 00:15:30,257 --> 00:15:34,125 This is God's condemnation against the people of Jerusalem, 341 00:15:34,705 --> 00:15:39,089 the place where there was supposed to be worship, the place 342 00:15:39,137 --> 00:15:40,897 where all of this is supposed to be focused. 343 00:15:40,921 --> 00:15:43,897 And I skipped verse three, but it says, her princes within her are 344 00:15:43,921 --> 00:15:46,933 roaring lions, her judges are evening wolves. 345 00:15:47,129 --> 00:15:50,541 They gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 346 00:15:50,733 --> 00:15:54,413 And so he condemns the princes, the royalty, he condemns 347 00:15:54,509 --> 00:15:55,429 the judges. 348 00:15:55,557 --> 00:15:58,173 And so he goes all the way across the board and condemns them 349 00:15:58,229 --> 00:16:02,733 for their rejection of the law, their rejection of their relationship 350 00:16:02,789 --> 00:16:03,705 with God. 351 00:16:04,365 --> 00:16:05,885 So we would say, well, we're not there. 352 00:16:05,925 --> 00:16:07,285 We're not that bad yet. 353 00:16:07,445 --> 00:16:09,605 I would challenge you to say, you know what? 354 00:16:09,685 --> 00:16:16,145 Look at culture, look at our nation, look at the world, look at 355 00:16:16,225 --> 00:16:18,609 the church at large, folks. 356 00:16:18,657 --> 00:16:21,505 A lot of these things that are being described here in Zephaniah 357 00:16:21,545 --> 00:16:23,605 Chapter 3 are happening today. 358 00:16:24,345 --> 00:16:29,121 And I would even venture to say in worse ways when it comes to 359 00:16:29,233 --> 00:16:32,673 validating, or let me say it this way, not validating the Word 360 00:16:32,689 --> 00:16:34,185 of God in our midst. 361 00:16:34,345 --> 00:16:37,409 And so they don't obey his voice, they don't receive correction, 362 00:16:37,497 --> 00:16:40,677 they don't trust the Lord, they don't draw near to God, and 363 00:16:40,701 --> 00:16:43,661 therefore they are called out for their sin. 364 00:16:43,813 --> 00:16:47,381 But we see now, okay, so a lot of people would say, well, this. 365 00:16:47,573 --> 00:16:50,949 If you were just to read this on your own, without understanding 366 00:16:50,997 --> 00:16:54,805 the context, without understanding who God is, you might 367 00:16:54,845 --> 00:16:57,181 say, wow, God's being kind of harsh with these people. 368 00:16:57,293 --> 00:16:59,805 I thought that these were the people that he loved, right? 369 00:16:59,845 --> 00:17:01,825 Shouldn't he be a little bit more patient? 370 00:17:02,125 --> 00:17:04,425 Shouldn't he be a little bit more gracious? 371 00:17:04,725 --> 00:17:07,077 Well, that's a dangerous place to be to start to question God's 372 00:17:07,101 --> 00:17:07,745 motives. 373 00:17:08,275 --> 00:17:12,067 But lest we think that maybe God is acting a little bit too much 374 00:17:12,211 --> 00:17:15,851 here, he begins to start talking about how God is a righteous 375 00:17:15,923 --> 00:17:17,655 judge, starting in verse number five. 376 00:17:19,155 --> 00:17:23,059 And I love how it's put here in this first phrase, because we 377 00:17:23,107 --> 00:17:29,187 must go back and remember that God is a God of justice, God is a 378 00:17:29,211 --> 00:17:30,315 God of holiness. 379 00:17:30,475 --> 00:17:33,775 And so therefore he has every right to judge these things. 380 00:17:34,505 --> 00:17:39,505 You and I don't have the right to be the final judge in somebody's 381 00:17:39,545 --> 00:17:44,057 life when it comes to their destination, even their morality, 382 00:17:44,121 --> 00:17:45,113 even their faith. 383 00:17:45,249 --> 00:17:47,697 And as a pastor, a lot of people will ask me, well, do you 384 00:17:47,721 --> 00:17:48,705 think that person's saved? 385 00:17:48,745 --> 00:17:50,545 And I can only say, well, you know what? 386 00:17:50,665 --> 00:17:53,385 Looking at the fruit in their life, I could make a judgment call, 387 00:17:53,425 --> 00:17:56,233 but I cannot see that person's heart. 388 00:17:56,409 --> 00:17:59,223 The Bible says that only God can look on someone's heart. 389 00:17:59,409 --> 00:18:02,467 And so therefore, we cannot judge somebody in the concept of 390 00:18:02,571 --> 00:18:06,547 perfectly judging them, because none of us are perfect, right? 391 00:18:06,611 --> 00:18:07,755 Jesus talked about that. 392 00:18:07,795 --> 00:18:09,595 You know, he without sin, cast the first stone. 393 00:18:09,635 --> 00:18:12,707 That doesn't mean that we don't make judgment in our life. 394 00:18:12,771 --> 00:18:15,587 Meaning, okay, this is a dangerous situation, or this is a 395 00:18:15,611 --> 00:18:17,355 situation that we shouldn't be a part of. 396 00:18:17,515 --> 00:18:20,931 There must be justice and there must be judgment in our life 397 00:18:20,963 --> 00:18:22,323 when it comes to being a Christian. 398 00:18:22,419 --> 00:18:25,381 But when it comes to condemnation, that is not our role. 399 00:18:25,523 --> 00:18:28,705 We cannot condemn when it comes to the eyes of God. 400 00:18:28,745 --> 00:18:32,145 And so therefore, we see that there's only one person who can condemn 401 00:18:32,185 --> 00:18:33,321 those that are in sin. 402 00:18:33,353 --> 00:18:37,245 And it says, verse five, the just Lord is in the midst thereof. 403 00:18:37,905 --> 00:18:40,969 It's a simple phrase, but it's an important phrase theologically 404 00:18:41,017 --> 00:18:41,977 to understand. 405 00:18:42,161 --> 00:18:46,345 It is the just Lord in the midst thereof, meaning this is God's 406 00:18:46,385 --> 00:18:48,725 decision in his justice, in his holiness. 407 00:18:49,305 --> 00:18:53,537 And so this made the unrighteousness of God's people even 408 00:18:53,641 --> 00:18:55,605 more tragic. 409 00:18:56,025 --> 00:19:00,673 God had been nothing but righteous to them, nothing but faithful 410 00:19:00,729 --> 00:19:01,525 to them. 411 00:19:01,985 --> 00:19:04,465 But yet they respond in what? 412 00:19:04,505 --> 00:19:06,165 In rebellion, in sin. 413 00:19:07,345 --> 00:19:10,409 And so eventually, they put themselves on the wrong side of God's 414 00:19:10,457 --> 00:19:13,365 righteousness, and therefore they have to face God's judgment. 415 00:19:14,345 --> 00:19:17,697 And thankfully, as Christians, thankfully, if you are a believer 416 00:19:17,721 --> 00:19:20,793 in Jesus Christ, you no longer walk in condemnation. 417 00:19:20,849 --> 00:19:22,245 That's Romans, chapter eight. 418 00:19:22,595 --> 00:19:23,923 And so we live. 419 00:19:24,019 --> 00:19:26,171 I believe we live in the age of grace. 420 00:19:26,323 --> 00:19:27,803 And I'm thankful for that fact. 421 00:19:27,899 --> 00:19:31,619 I'm thankful the fact that in the New Testament it says that even 422 00:19:31,667 --> 00:19:33,935 when I am not faithful, God is faithful. 423 00:19:34,355 --> 00:19:38,483 But the person, even today, that is unsaved the person who has 424 00:19:38,619 --> 00:19:42,107 never come to an understanding of faith, never trusted in God for 425 00:19:42,131 --> 00:19:44,307 their salvation, they are living in condemnation. 426 00:19:44,371 --> 00:19:45,611 The Bible says that. 427 00:19:45,803 --> 00:19:48,707 And so therefore, what we do as Christians is that we proclaim 428 00:19:48,771 --> 00:19:49,769 the grace of God. 429 00:19:49,867 --> 00:19:51,085 And that's what they needed back then. 430 00:19:51,125 --> 00:19:52,677 They still needed the grace of God. 431 00:19:52,821 --> 00:19:55,573 Everyone throughout all of history needs the grace of God. 432 00:19:55,629 --> 00:19:58,685 We need God's intervention in our life for us to have any hope, 433 00:19:58,725 --> 00:20:00,301 for us to have any chance. 434 00:20:00,493 --> 00:20:03,625 And so the just Lord is in the midst thereof. 435 00:20:04,085 --> 00:20:08,869 And so this just is there to explain the dichotomy, the difference 436 00:20:08,957 --> 00:20:16,061 between God's perfection, His holiness, his justice, and the rebellion 437 00:20:16,093 --> 00:20:17,591 of the people in their sin. 438 00:20:17,773 --> 00:20:20,683 Because there's sometimes temptation for a culture, for a people, 439 00:20:20,739 --> 00:20:23,475 for a church, for individuals to say, you know what? 440 00:20:23,515 --> 00:20:27,427 Maybe this isn't as bad as it's made out to be. 441 00:20:27,611 --> 00:20:28,643 And when we really. 442 00:20:28,739 --> 00:20:31,851 One of the things that I've had to walk through with my own life 443 00:20:31,923 --> 00:20:36,187 and maybe counseling other people's lives is, you know, I want 444 00:20:36,211 --> 00:20:37,435 to see this sin as bad. 445 00:20:37,475 --> 00:20:39,091 But I just keep coming back. 446 00:20:39,243 --> 00:20:40,739 I just keep coming back. 447 00:20:40,867 --> 00:20:42,203 Why do I keep coming back? 448 00:20:42,259 --> 00:20:44,077 How can I get victory over this sin? 449 00:20:44,251 --> 00:20:47,245 And one of the things that helped me out a lot in that was this, 450 00:20:47,585 --> 00:20:52,761 to see the sin the way that God sees it, to see it truly from 451 00:20:52,833 --> 00:20:54,009 his perspective, right? 452 00:20:54,097 --> 00:20:56,617 The God of the universe, the Creator of the universe, the one 453 00:20:56,641 --> 00:20:57,529 who is perfect. 454 00:20:57,657 --> 00:21:05,225 He then creates us, we reject him, we turn our backs against him, 455 00:21:05,385 --> 00:21:09,321 and then we commit sins that put him on the cross, right? 456 00:21:09,433 --> 00:21:13,201 And so what we have to do in our life is to see the sin as bad 457 00:21:13,273 --> 00:21:14,885 as it truly is. 458 00:21:15,065 --> 00:21:17,661 And we have to see that it's not something that we cozy up with, 459 00:21:17,693 --> 00:21:21,229 that we get comfortable with, that we get as close as we can to. 460 00:21:21,357 --> 00:21:24,829 You know, one of the common questions that I will hear is, well, 461 00:21:24,917 --> 00:21:27,381 how much can I do without sinning? 462 00:21:27,573 --> 00:21:32,013 Like, that's actually a statement that multiple times I've 463 00:21:32,029 --> 00:21:35,105 heard in my life, like, what are we allowed to do as Christians? 464 00:21:35,845 --> 00:21:36,965 How close to the. 465 00:21:37,045 --> 00:21:37,925 Essentially, it's this. 466 00:21:38,005 --> 00:21:41,065 How close to the line can we get without sinning? 467 00:21:41,435 --> 00:21:42,251 Right? 468 00:21:42,443 --> 00:21:45,283 And, you know, that's a tough call in some areas. 469 00:21:45,339 --> 00:21:46,683 In other areas, it's very clear. 470 00:21:46,739 --> 00:21:50,787 Like, if you do this, okay, let's say, let's use lying as an 471 00:21:50,811 --> 00:21:51,739 example, right? 472 00:21:51,867 --> 00:21:53,987 You tell the truth, you're okay. 473 00:21:54,131 --> 00:21:56,267 The moment you don't tell the truth, you're lying. 474 00:21:56,331 --> 00:21:57,155 That's a sin. 475 00:21:57,315 --> 00:22:00,907 But there are other things in Scripture that admittedly, there 476 00:22:00,931 --> 00:22:03,971 are some gray areas on, well, how close can we get without actually 477 00:22:04,043 --> 00:22:05,659 offending God's law? 478 00:22:05,747 --> 00:22:07,121 Well, I will tell you this. 479 00:22:07,283 --> 00:22:10,493 The danger in that is the closer that you get to the line, 480 00:22:10,549 --> 00:22:13,917 the easier it is to fall over that line and get into a place of 481 00:22:13,941 --> 00:22:14,453 sin. 482 00:22:14,589 --> 00:22:15,501 Paul mentions this. 483 00:22:15,533 --> 00:22:19,325 He says, you know, all things are lawful, but yet not all things 484 00:22:19,365 --> 00:22:20,133 are expedient. 485 00:22:20,189 --> 00:22:24,453 Meaning, that's not everything in my life is necessarily a sin. 486 00:22:24,549 --> 00:22:25,525 Out and out. 487 00:22:25,685 --> 00:22:28,525 But there are some things in my life that are not beneficial to 488 00:22:28,565 --> 00:22:29,905 me as a Christian. 489 00:22:30,245 --> 00:22:31,949 And so the way I. 490 00:22:32,037 --> 00:22:33,865 This is how I explain it to my kids. 491 00:22:34,635 --> 00:22:38,467 And I think that you guys are more mature than my children. 492 00:22:38,611 --> 00:22:40,723 But let me just explain it to you the way that I explain it to 493 00:22:40,739 --> 00:22:42,415 them, and maybe you'll understand it. 494 00:22:43,755 --> 00:22:48,539 You know, I tell my kids, you're going to stumble, you're going 495 00:22:48,547 --> 00:22:52,307 to slip, you're going to slide around in your life, because we're 496 00:22:52,331 --> 00:22:53,135 all human. 497 00:22:53,435 --> 00:22:57,699 And so the closer that you get to that line, when that stumble comes, 498 00:22:57,827 --> 00:23:00,523 you're going to be closer into going farther and farther over that 499 00:23:00,539 --> 00:23:00,715 line. 500 00:23:00,755 --> 00:23:02,189 It's going to be a lot harder to get back. 501 00:23:02,307 --> 00:23:04,889 The farther that you can stay away from that line, the better. 502 00:23:04,937 --> 00:23:07,913 So that when you do stumble a little bit, when your conscience 503 00:23:07,969 --> 00:23:10,865 is offended just a little bit, you're not going to go over the line 504 00:23:10,905 --> 00:23:14,633 and commit a terrible sin that's going to cause you issues 505 00:23:14,689 --> 00:23:19,305 in your life and ultimately, you know, having God disappointed 506 00:23:19,345 --> 00:23:20,985 and saddened with your decisions. 507 00:23:21,025 --> 00:23:23,913 And so I always tell them, like, look, we don't want to get 508 00:23:23,929 --> 00:23:25,001 as close to the line as we can. 509 00:23:25,033 --> 00:23:26,553 We want to try to get as far away as we can. 510 00:23:26,609 --> 00:23:28,375 And I think there's biblical precedent to that. 511 00:23:28,465 --> 00:23:31,411 I think when the Bible says flee youthful lust, it means get 512 00:23:31,443 --> 00:23:32,243 away from that. 513 00:23:32,339 --> 00:23:33,235 Get away from the lust. 514 00:23:33,275 --> 00:23:34,459 Get, you know, it says. 515 00:23:34,547 --> 00:23:37,627 It says, you know, get away from the enemy, get away from the 516 00:23:37,651 --> 00:23:37,835 sin. 517 00:23:37,875 --> 00:23:42,771 And so what we can see here in this case is that these people in 518 00:23:42,803 --> 00:23:47,363 Jerusalem, these people in rebellion, were basically getting 519 00:23:47,419 --> 00:23:48,275 cozy with sin. 520 00:23:48,315 --> 00:23:50,291 They were getting as close as they can to it. 521 00:23:50,403 --> 00:23:53,475 They were still saying that they followed God, but their lifestyle 522 00:23:53,515 --> 00:23:54,649 didn't look that way. 523 00:23:54,787 --> 00:23:56,985 So the just Lord is in the midst thereof. 524 00:23:57,765 --> 00:23:58,733 And then this is. 525 00:23:58,789 --> 00:24:00,477 This is true, right? 526 00:24:00,581 --> 00:24:02,505 He will not do iniquity. 527 00:24:03,125 --> 00:24:07,965 Because the same people that are hearing this message are questioning. 528 00:24:08,005 --> 00:24:10,461 They're saying, well, why would God judge his own people? 529 00:24:10,533 --> 00:24:11,581 That's just wrong. 530 00:24:11,693 --> 00:24:15,621 You ever heard someone say, well, my God that I worship would 531 00:24:15,653 --> 00:24:17,205 never send anybody to hell. 532 00:24:17,325 --> 00:24:21,145 My God would never judge anybody because he's a Loving God. 533 00:24:21,665 --> 00:24:25,913 Well, when you say that God's judgment is sin, you're essentially 534 00:24:25,969 --> 00:24:27,485 questioning his character. 535 00:24:27,905 --> 00:24:31,249 You're questioning whether or not he has sinned or not. 536 00:24:31,297 --> 00:24:31,505 Right? 537 00:24:31,545 --> 00:24:32,569 That's what you're really doing. 538 00:24:32,617 --> 00:24:35,577 You're saying that if he judges someone, that's an iniquity. 539 00:24:35,641 --> 00:24:36,225 That's sin. 540 00:24:36,305 --> 00:24:41,305 Well, it says right here he will not do iniquity. 541 00:24:41,385 --> 00:24:44,049 Meaning when he judges them, it's not sin. 542 00:24:44,137 --> 00:24:46,085 When he judges them, it's not wrong. 543 00:24:47,195 --> 00:24:49,611 He goes on to say this every morning. 544 00:24:49,683 --> 00:24:51,895 Doth he bring his judgment to light? 545 00:24:52,315 --> 00:24:57,495 He faileth not, but the unjust knoweth no shame. 546 00:24:58,155 --> 00:25:01,295 That's a really bad place to be when there's no more shame. 547 00:25:02,795 --> 00:25:07,155 The conviction of God is no longer real to individuals. 548 00:25:07,195 --> 00:25:08,735 They have a seared conscience. 549 00:25:09,675 --> 00:25:11,371 They rejected the goodness of God. 550 00:25:11,403 --> 00:25:12,895 They rejected his grace. 551 00:25:13,495 --> 00:25:18,355 And so God brings his justice to the nations around Judah. 552 00:25:19,055 --> 00:25:22,191 And Judah is warned about this justice as well. 553 00:25:22,383 --> 00:25:25,435 And they're warned about what would happen if they rejected God. 554 00:25:25,775 --> 00:25:29,423 Instead of learning from the nations around them and the judgment 555 00:25:29,479 --> 00:25:34,879 of the Northern Kingdom, these people dedicate themselves to ungodliness 556 00:25:34,967 --> 00:25:35,503 even more. 557 00:25:35,559 --> 00:25:38,035 Like, they get to a place where it's not even shameful. 558 00:25:38,345 --> 00:25:42,681 It's almost like shaking their fist to God saying, let's see what 559 00:25:42,713 --> 00:25:43,725 you can do. 560 00:25:44,185 --> 00:25:45,825 And that's a scorner. 561 00:25:45,945 --> 00:25:47,065 Romans, chapter one. 562 00:25:47,145 --> 00:25:50,485 We don't have the time to dig into that passage of scripture tonight, 563 00:25:50,865 --> 00:25:54,121 but at great lengths, I would encourage you to study Romans 1, 564 00:25:54,153 --> 00:25:58,241 because the Bible talks about people who desire the things of the 565 00:25:58,273 --> 00:26:02,145 flesh they desire the things of the world they desire all these 566 00:26:02,185 --> 00:26:05,491 terrible, fleshly, dark things. 567 00:26:05,563 --> 00:26:08,947 And then eventually God says he gives them over to their reprobate 568 00:26:09,011 --> 00:26:09,775 minds. 569 00:26:10,355 --> 00:26:14,259 So what happens is that God says, okay, you want that sin, you 570 00:26:14,307 --> 00:26:15,915 want the outcome of that? 571 00:26:16,035 --> 00:26:16,643 There it is. 572 00:26:16,699 --> 00:26:17,587 You have it. 573 00:26:17,731 --> 00:26:20,603 It's not our job to make a decision on who that is yet. 574 00:26:20,739 --> 00:26:22,179 All we do is preach the gospel. 575 00:26:22,227 --> 00:26:26,051 But God does say, to a point, there is going to be justice, there 576 00:26:26,083 --> 00:26:27,275 is going to be judgment. 577 00:26:27,435 --> 00:26:29,723 Now, thankfully, God is a God of grace. 578 00:26:29,779 --> 00:26:32,377 And that's why I'm saying we live in the church age. 579 00:26:32,561 --> 00:26:35,297 So, like, I don't know about you, but, like, if you're talking 580 00:26:35,321 --> 00:26:40,121 to somebody who says, well, I've done too much in my life, God 581 00:26:40,153 --> 00:26:40,897 can't forgive me. 582 00:26:40,961 --> 00:26:43,605 I don't know if you've ever talked to someone like that. 583 00:26:44,025 --> 00:26:46,577 I know, certainly I have, trying to explain the gospel. 584 00:26:46,601 --> 00:26:49,457 And they go, yeah, he'll forgive you, because you went to 585 00:26:49,481 --> 00:26:52,577 Christian school and you went to Bible college and You're a good 586 00:26:52,601 --> 00:26:53,121 enough guy. 587 00:26:53,153 --> 00:26:54,645 But he can't forgive me. 588 00:26:54,985 --> 00:26:57,555 And first of all, everyone's a sinner. 589 00:26:57,635 --> 00:26:58,851 Everyone's guilty in the eyes of God. 590 00:26:58,883 --> 00:27:00,459 It doesn't matter what degree you're at. 591 00:27:00,587 --> 00:27:03,491 But I will say that God can forgive. 592 00:27:03,643 --> 00:27:07,507 God will forgive those that come to him in humble submission, 593 00:27:07,571 --> 00:27:09,147 in repentance and in faith. 594 00:27:09,291 --> 00:27:10,387 Doesn't matter what you have done. 595 00:27:10,411 --> 00:27:12,315 I mean, think about all those individuals in Scripture. 596 00:27:12,355 --> 00:27:13,171 Think of. 597 00:27:13,363 --> 00:27:15,219 I could pick out a ton of examples. 598 00:27:15,347 --> 00:27:16,563 I'll pick out a few. 599 00:27:16,659 --> 00:27:17,855 Think about Peter. 600 00:27:18,195 --> 00:27:19,363 What did Peter do? 601 00:27:19,459 --> 00:27:21,171 He denied Jesus, right? 602 00:27:21,283 --> 00:27:22,555 If anybody. 603 00:27:22,635 --> 00:27:25,211 If anybody did too much, it was Peter, right? 604 00:27:25,243 --> 00:27:28,793 Peter, right before that, promised, I would never do that to 605 00:27:28,809 --> 00:27:29,369 you, Jesus. 606 00:27:29,417 --> 00:27:30,745 I would actually die for you. 607 00:27:30,785 --> 00:27:34,825 And then all of a sudden, what he denies, Peter is forgiven. 608 00:27:34,945 --> 00:27:39,609 Right there by the Sea of Galilee, on the seashore, by a fire 609 00:27:39,657 --> 00:27:42,481 with some fish there, Jesus goes through that wonderful time 610 00:27:42,513 --> 00:27:44,505 where he goes three times, do you love me? 611 00:27:44,625 --> 00:27:46,873 And those three times are there to remind Peter that, hey, 612 00:27:46,889 --> 00:27:47,281 you know what? 613 00:27:47,313 --> 00:27:48,285 You are forgiven. 614 00:27:48,705 --> 00:27:49,969 We understand that. 615 00:27:50,137 --> 00:27:51,239 So Peter, right? 616 00:27:51,337 --> 00:27:52,095 Forgiven. 617 00:27:53,915 --> 00:27:56,855 Think about Saul, who later was Paul. 618 00:27:57,435 --> 00:28:00,787 I mean, the guy literally persecuted Christians. 619 00:28:00,971 --> 00:28:04,491 He literally was fighting against God, not just by what he 620 00:28:04,523 --> 00:28:06,795 said, but physically what he did. 621 00:28:06,915 --> 00:28:08,155 But yet God forgives him. 622 00:28:08,195 --> 00:28:11,267 So the question is not can God forgive? 623 00:28:11,371 --> 00:28:14,179 The question is, are you going to be willing to trust in that forgiveness? 624 00:28:14,227 --> 00:28:18,683 And so what we can see here is that verse five, God is going to 625 00:28:18,699 --> 00:28:20,971 bring his judgment to light. 626 00:28:21,163 --> 00:28:22,575 He doesn't fail. 627 00:28:22,875 --> 00:28:26,699 But the unjust, the ones who are not forgiven knoweth no shame. 628 00:28:26,747 --> 00:28:28,731 Meaning they're not willing to see their wrongs. 629 00:28:28,763 --> 00:28:31,615 They're not willing to come to God. 630 00:28:32,235 --> 00:28:35,635 And so he's going to say a couple more things here, Verses six 631 00:28:35,675 --> 00:28:36,291 and seven. 632 00:28:36,363 --> 00:28:39,055 We're going to end at verse number seven here tonight. 633 00:28:39,955 --> 00:28:42,587 It says, I have cut off the nations. 634 00:28:42,691 --> 00:28:44,447 Their towers are desolate. 635 00:28:44,611 --> 00:28:48,479 I made their streets waste that none passeth by. 636 00:28:48,527 --> 00:28:52,047 Their cities are destroyed so that there is no man, that there 637 00:28:52,071 --> 00:28:53,263 is none inhabitant. 638 00:28:53,319 --> 00:28:55,559 Meaning this is a complete destruction. 639 00:28:55,607 --> 00:28:57,115 This is a complete judgment. 640 00:28:57,455 --> 00:29:03,015 And really, one day, folks, we know that God's judgment is a complete 641 00:29:03,055 --> 00:29:03,807 judgment. 642 00:29:03,991 --> 00:29:06,315 Right now, God's extending grace to people. 643 00:29:07,015 --> 00:29:12,155 But the Bible does say that it is appointed unto man once to die, 644 00:29:12,855 --> 00:29:15,275 and after that is the judgment. 645 00:29:16,215 --> 00:29:17,995 So there's not a second chance. 646 00:29:18,455 --> 00:29:20,475 I've heard folks say, well, you know what? 647 00:29:20,775 --> 00:29:24,119 When I want to live my life the way that I want to live it, and 648 00:29:24,127 --> 00:29:25,967 then if God is really gracious, he's going to give me a 649 00:29:25,991 --> 00:29:26,463 second chance. 650 00:29:26,519 --> 00:29:29,231 After I go it's not how it goes. 651 00:29:29,423 --> 00:29:31,119 That's not how scripture lays it out. 652 00:29:31,207 --> 00:29:34,327 I don't believe that there's second, third, fourth chances after 653 00:29:34,511 --> 00:29:36,743 we leave this world. 654 00:29:36,799 --> 00:29:37,127 Okay? 655 00:29:37,191 --> 00:29:38,899 So what I would say to you is this. 656 00:29:39,007 --> 00:29:40,851 Yes, God is gracious. 657 00:29:40,963 --> 00:29:42,691 God is extending that patience. 658 00:29:42,803 --> 00:29:46,035 But there is going to be a point where his grace ends and his 659 00:29:46,075 --> 00:29:47,307 justice begins. 660 00:29:47,491 --> 00:29:48,627 And therefore, you know what? 661 00:29:48,651 --> 00:29:50,395 There is that complete victory over evil. 662 00:29:50,435 --> 00:29:52,203 There's that victory over sin. 663 00:29:52,339 --> 00:29:54,515 And so that's not something to play around with. 664 00:29:54,555 --> 00:29:57,211 And I think all the more the reason why we should be more passionate 665 00:29:57,243 --> 00:29:59,455 about telling other people about Jesus. 666 00:29:59,835 --> 00:30:02,411 We should be all the more passionate about sharing the gospel 667 00:30:02,443 --> 00:30:03,227 with people. 668 00:30:03,411 --> 00:30:09,021 That's why I remember very early on in my ministry, I said, 669 00:30:09,053 --> 00:30:13,213 if I have a chance to speak in front of people, I never want to 670 00:30:13,229 --> 00:30:16,853 miss that chance to give some element of the gospel, some element 671 00:30:16,909 --> 00:30:19,085 of an invitation to trust in Jesus. 672 00:30:19,125 --> 00:30:21,829 I mean, we could be in Genesis, we could be in Zephaniah, 673 00:30:21,877 --> 00:30:22,821 we could be anywhere. 674 00:30:22,933 --> 00:30:24,065 I'm going to. 675 00:30:24,485 --> 00:30:25,045 And that's. 676 00:30:25,085 --> 00:30:28,349 I believe that is my role, is to proclaim the gospel truth through 677 00:30:28,397 --> 00:30:29,933 any passage of scripture that we see. 678 00:30:29,989 --> 00:30:32,721 Because the Bible is not just a help book. 679 00:30:32,793 --> 00:30:34,645 It's not just a history book. 680 00:30:34,985 --> 00:30:38,337 It's not just a book of, you know, logic and reason. 681 00:30:38,401 --> 00:30:40,285 It's a book of salvation. 682 00:30:40,865 --> 00:30:45,857 And I think that so many times the Bible can just seem to people 683 00:30:45,921 --> 00:30:48,365 as a storybook about morals. 684 00:30:48,825 --> 00:30:49,969 Like, well, look at Daniel. 685 00:30:50,017 --> 00:30:51,633 He was strong in the lines, Denny. 686 00:30:51,689 --> 00:30:56,809 And yes, he was, but how could he be that strong? 687 00:30:56,977 --> 00:30:58,505 And how did that salvation come? 688 00:30:58,545 --> 00:30:59,921 It was through faith, right? 689 00:31:00,033 --> 00:31:02,337 His salvation came ultimately through faith in God. 690 00:31:02,361 --> 00:31:05,481 And you say the Old Testament people didn't get saved by faith. 691 00:31:05,513 --> 00:31:07,657 The Old Testament people got saved by their. 692 00:31:07,801 --> 00:31:09,009 By their sacrifices. 693 00:31:09,097 --> 00:31:12,065 Well, that's totally opposite of what Hebrews chapter 11 says. 694 00:31:12,185 --> 00:31:14,817 Hebrews chapter 11 goes through all the great saints of the 695 00:31:14,841 --> 00:31:15,297 Old Testament. 696 00:31:15,321 --> 00:31:17,313 And it says, by what faith? 697 00:31:17,449 --> 00:31:19,265 By faith, by faith. 698 00:31:19,305 --> 00:31:21,769 It's all about faith in the Lord. 699 00:31:21,817 --> 00:31:24,305 It's all about faith in Jesus Christ. 700 00:31:24,425 --> 00:31:26,585 Now, for them in the Old Testament, it was looking towards 701 00:31:26,625 --> 00:31:27,185 a messiah. 702 00:31:27,225 --> 00:31:29,449 For us, it's looking back to a Savior. 703 00:31:29,617 --> 00:31:32,729 And so we see that there is a complete judgment, but there is still 704 00:31:32,777 --> 00:31:33,369 hope. 705 00:31:33,537 --> 00:31:34,193 Verse 7. 706 00:31:34,249 --> 00:31:39,565 I said, surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction. 707 00:31:40,025 --> 00:31:42,405 So their dwelling should not be cut off. 708 00:31:42,825 --> 00:31:46,377 Howsoever I punished them, but they rose early and corrupted all 709 00:31:46,401 --> 00:31:46,865 their doings. 710 00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:47,305 Meaning this. 711 00:31:47,345 --> 00:31:49,763 He says, I gave you an opportunity to fear me. 712 00:31:49,889 --> 00:31:52,527 I gave you an opportunity to receive instruction. 713 00:31:52,671 --> 00:31:55,111 I gave you an Opportunity not to be cut off. 714 00:31:55,223 --> 00:31:59,287 But then, howsoever, I punished them, but they rose early 715 00:31:59,351 --> 00:32:01,915 and corrupted all their doings. 716 00:32:02,695 --> 00:32:05,795 And so they had not drawn close to God. 717 00:32:07,095 --> 00:32:08,255 They had rejected him. 718 00:32:08,295 --> 00:32:09,327 They had no more shame. 719 00:32:09,391 --> 00:32:11,391 And God is going to judge now. 720 00:32:11,543 --> 00:32:13,275 That sounds really bleak. 721 00:32:13,655 --> 00:32:17,205 It sounds like, hey, wow, who has a chance then? 722 00:32:17,285 --> 00:32:18,381 Who could ever be saved? 723 00:32:18,453 --> 00:32:19,253 And that was actually. 724 00:32:19,309 --> 00:32:22,621 If that was actually a question that the disciples asked 725 00:32:22,653 --> 00:32:25,917 Jesus, if you remember, like, how could anyone be saved? 726 00:32:26,061 --> 00:32:27,181 And what did Jesus say? 727 00:32:27,213 --> 00:32:30,037 Says, with me, with God, all things are possible. 728 00:32:30,101 --> 00:32:32,197 Meaning it's a miracle. 729 00:32:32,261 --> 00:32:35,261 Like, salvation is a miracle. 730 00:32:35,333 --> 00:32:37,621 I think sometimes we don't see it that way. 731 00:32:37,733 --> 00:32:40,717 I think sometimes we see a miracle as someone walks in tonight 732 00:32:40,741 --> 00:32:45,235 with leprosy and that they no longer have leprosy. 733 00:32:45,535 --> 00:32:46,591 Would that be a miracle? 734 00:32:46,663 --> 00:32:47,319 Yes. 735 00:32:47,487 --> 00:32:47,991 Okay. 736 00:32:48,063 --> 00:32:52,391 A lot of times we are looking for visual signs and wonders to be 737 00:32:52,423 --> 00:32:53,135 called a miracle. 738 00:32:53,175 --> 00:32:55,115 And of course, those are miracles, of course. 739 00:32:55,415 --> 00:33:00,223 But I think so many times we forget that salvation is literally 740 00:33:00,279 --> 00:33:01,195 a miracle. 741 00:33:02,175 --> 00:33:06,199 The fact that an unsaved person, a person who is in rebellion 742 00:33:06,247 --> 00:33:10,049 against God, can come to know him in faith, and that there is this 743 00:33:10,097 --> 00:33:12,897 gift that's offered to them, and then at that moment, they are. 744 00:33:12,961 --> 00:33:16,645 If they're truly saved, they are transformed into a new creature. 745 00:33:17,025 --> 00:33:18,073 That is a miracle. 746 00:33:18,129 --> 00:33:19,113 That is exciting. 747 00:33:19,249 --> 00:33:20,097 That's what we. 748 00:33:20,161 --> 00:33:22,617 That's why we do what we do, folks, I'm going to tell you. 749 00:33:22,721 --> 00:33:25,657 To see an individual's change in their life, to see them come to 750 00:33:25,681 --> 00:33:28,841 Christ, to see that light bulb go off in their minds and their. 751 00:33:28,873 --> 00:33:32,377 In their eyes, that is what it's all about. 752 00:33:32,561 --> 00:33:38,217 Because the Bible says, yes, we are to come to Christ, but we 753 00:33:38,241 --> 00:33:40,765 never see in Scripture that coming to Christ is the end. 754 00:33:41,265 --> 00:33:42,185 What is Jesus? 755 00:33:42,265 --> 00:33:44,193 Last thing, he goes, all right, everyone believe in me now. 756 00:33:44,209 --> 00:33:44,753 I'm gonna leave. 757 00:33:44,809 --> 00:33:44,977 No. 758 00:33:45,001 --> 00:33:48,913 He says, believe, yes, but then teach other people how to believe. 759 00:33:48,969 --> 00:33:50,841 Like, that's what we're here for. 760 00:33:50,993 --> 00:33:54,017 And so when we see this in Zephaniah, we see people rejecting 761 00:33:54,161 --> 00:33:56,153 and we see people living in sin. 762 00:33:56,209 --> 00:33:59,297 And we see, like, if we were to end in verse seven, there would 763 00:33:59,321 --> 00:34:00,275 be no hope. 764 00:34:00,425 --> 00:34:03,359 It would be like, well, Jerusalem failed. 765 00:34:03,527 --> 00:34:05,035 Nineveh failed. 766 00:34:05,335 --> 00:34:06,615 We're going to fail. 767 00:34:06,775 --> 00:34:07,927 America is going to fail. 768 00:34:07,991 --> 00:34:12,383 But starting not next week, but the week after, we're going to 769 00:34:12,399 --> 00:34:17,535 look at God's plan for redemption for the nation of Israel. 770 00:34:17,695 --> 00:34:21,503 Now, I'm of the school of thought that this is something that 771 00:34:21,559 --> 00:34:23,915 has not happened yet completely. 772 00:34:24,255 --> 00:34:27,475 I believe that this is what's going to happen at the very end. 773 00:34:27,855 --> 00:34:31,959 At the end of the tribulation, at the end of time, in the millennial 774 00:34:32,007 --> 00:34:34,791 kingdom, I believe that this is going to be the nation of Israel 775 00:34:34,863 --> 00:34:38,155 restored and there's great salvation in that. 776 00:34:38,935 --> 00:34:42,127 But I will also say that I think by extension God is explaining 777 00:34:42,191 --> 00:34:46,031 how his salvation comes to all mankind through faith and through 778 00:34:46,143 --> 00:34:46,703 repentance. 779 00:34:46,759 --> 00:34:50,471 And so we're going to study verses eight through the end of the 780 00:34:50,503 --> 00:34:53,695 chapter in a couple weeks and finish this and see that there is 781 00:34:53,735 --> 00:34:53,911 hope. 782 00:34:53,943 --> 00:34:55,955 Like we always want to leave people with hope. 783 00:34:57,244 --> 00:35:03,052 If I came to you in a counseling situation or a confrontational 784 00:35:03,148 --> 00:35:06,468 situation and I just, you know, I wouldn't do this, but if 785 00:35:06,476 --> 00:35:09,316 I did come to someone and say, hey, look, this is your problem with 786 00:35:09,340 --> 00:35:12,852 your life, this is the sin in your life, this is the issues in 787 00:35:12,868 --> 00:35:13,524 your life. 788 00:35:13,644 --> 00:35:14,804 And look, you know what? 789 00:35:14,924 --> 00:35:17,052 Sorry, you're just, you're a failure. 790 00:35:17,188 --> 00:35:18,744 There's no hope, right? 791 00:35:19,524 --> 00:35:22,676 That person has now left with no hope, thinking, well, now I've 792 00:35:22,700 --> 00:35:24,318 just, I'm completely broken. 793 00:35:24,476 --> 00:35:28,075 And God never breaks his children's spirits. 794 00:35:28,155 --> 00:35:29,335 He never does that. 795 00:35:30,235 --> 00:35:32,891 He sometimes needs to break their heart, but he doesn't break 796 00:35:32,923 --> 00:35:33,675 their spirit. 797 00:35:33,795 --> 00:35:36,443 And so one of the things that we do as Christians is, yes, there 798 00:35:36,459 --> 00:35:39,419 are going to be some tough moments where we need to talk about 799 00:35:39,467 --> 00:35:43,483 things, but we always leave an individual with hope in what Christ 800 00:35:43,539 --> 00:35:44,643 can do in their life. 801 00:35:44,779 --> 00:35:45,731 That's what God always does. 802 00:35:45,763 --> 00:35:48,255 He always leaves folks with hope. 803 00:35:48,595 --> 00:35:52,255 Hope for repentance, hope for revival, hope for salvation. 804 00:35:52,575 --> 00:35:55,607 And when a person loses hope, it's when they lose everything else. 805 00:35:55,751 --> 00:36:00,223 And so one of the things we need to preach to our church, we 806 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:02,607 need to preach to our country, we need to preach to the world, is 807 00:36:02,631 --> 00:36:05,663 that there is hope and that hope is in Jesus Christ. 808 00:36:05,839 --> 00:36:11,151 Yes, God is a judge, but in his long suffering grace, he is extending 809 00:36:11,223 --> 00:36:12,355 an opportunity. 810 00:36:12,895 --> 00:36:16,655 And I think that that's one of the reasons, all the more why we 811 00:36:16,775 --> 00:36:21,857 as a church and as individuals need to get busy about the gospel. 812 00:36:22,001 --> 00:36:24,745 We need to get busy about going and reaching people for the 813 00:36:24,785 --> 00:36:26,473 cause of the kingdom. 814 00:36:26,649 --> 00:36:30,009 And there are some things that we're going to be trying to institute 815 00:36:30,057 --> 00:36:36,449 here at the church that will not be traditional in the sense of 816 00:36:36,497 --> 00:36:37,905 this is a traditional ministry. 817 00:36:37,945 --> 00:36:40,145 But there's going to be opportunities for us as a church 818 00:36:40,225 --> 00:36:43,045 to reach people around us that need the gospel. 819 00:36:43,435 --> 00:36:46,695 Because really what happens is that we say as a church, you know, 820 00:36:47,755 --> 00:36:52,795 we're a beacon of light to the community and we are, you know, anybody 821 00:36:52,835 --> 00:36:55,323 can walk on this property and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ on 822 00:36:55,339 --> 00:36:55,915 a Sunday morning. 823 00:36:55,955 --> 00:36:59,315 But how many people are going to do that, right? 824 00:36:59,435 --> 00:37:04,315 The Bible doesn't say wait, and then they'll come. 825 00:37:04,395 --> 00:37:04,915 It's not. 826 00:37:04,995 --> 00:37:05,475 What's that. 827 00:37:05,515 --> 00:37:06,299 There's a movie. 828 00:37:06,387 --> 00:37:08,323 It's like, if you build it, they'll come. 829 00:37:08,499 --> 00:37:09,583 Oh, yeah, yeah. 830 00:37:09,739 --> 00:37:14,039 So there is that principle, I think, like, obviously, if we built 831 00:37:14,087 --> 00:37:17,743 this big, you know, cathedral in Middletown, people would want 832 00:37:17,759 --> 00:37:19,199 to come out and see what's going on. 833 00:37:19,287 --> 00:37:20,287 We throw a big event. 834 00:37:20,351 --> 00:37:22,127 People would want to come and see what's going on. 835 00:37:22,231 --> 00:37:25,167 But what does the Bible say? 836 00:37:25,191 --> 00:37:26,435 There's a word. 837 00:37:27,335 --> 00:37:28,575 Go, right? 838 00:37:28,695 --> 00:37:29,355 Go. 839 00:37:29,895 --> 00:37:33,855 And it's been something that I have been challenged with in my own 840 00:37:33,895 --> 00:37:37,965 personal life and pastoral life. 841 00:37:38,665 --> 00:37:40,445 How are we going? 842 00:37:41,225 --> 00:37:43,965 You know, what are we doing to go? 843 00:37:44,265 --> 00:37:45,673 And some of you say, go. 844 00:37:45,769 --> 00:37:47,405 I'm not called to be a missionary. 845 00:37:48,265 --> 00:37:52,937 Well, you are called to be a missionary, just maybe not in another 846 00:37:53,001 --> 00:37:53,249 land. 847 00:37:53,297 --> 00:37:55,641 You are called to be a missionary where you are, and to 848 00:37:55,673 --> 00:38:01,847 go to Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, into the uttermost part 849 00:38:01,871 --> 00:38:02,791 of the earth. 850 00:38:02,983 --> 00:38:04,503 That's the church's goal. 851 00:38:04,639 --> 00:38:08,639 And so that is the plan for the church. 852 00:38:08,687 --> 00:38:10,495 That is the goal for the church. 853 00:38:10,655 --> 00:38:13,207 And I believe that's something that we need to do in light of what 854 00:38:13,231 --> 00:38:15,943 Zephaniah is talking about here, the judgment of God. 855 00:38:16,119 --> 00:38:20,127 We don't go, and I'm getting on a soapbox here, and I won't go 856 00:38:20,151 --> 00:38:21,031 too much longer with this. 857 00:38:21,103 --> 00:38:24,435 We don't go to people and say, jesus can make your life better. 858 00:38:25,215 --> 00:38:27,317 The church is here to give you a community. 859 00:38:27,471 --> 00:38:30,009 The church is here to give you entertainment. 860 00:38:30,057 --> 00:38:33,925 The church is here to give you some kind of peace. 861 00:38:35,305 --> 00:38:36,801 Are all those things true? 862 00:38:36,833 --> 00:38:38,145 To some degree, yes. 863 00:38:38,265 --> 00:38:42,537 But the purpose of the gospel is not to just make your life better. 864 00:38:42,681 --> 00:38:46,365 The purpose of the gospel is to save you from destruction. 865 00:38:46,945 --> 00:38:49,925 The Bible actually says you are dead before you're saved. 866 00:38:50,425 --> 00:38:52,815 So you have a death sentence in your life. 867 00:38:52,985 --> 00:38:58,067 And so therefore, the gospel is a necessity for life. 868 00:38:58,251 --> 00:39:02,107 So if we see it that way, we deal with things differently. 869 00:39:02,251 --> 00:39:02,883 I believe. 870 00:39:02,979 --> 00:39:06,499 I wasn't there, but I believe Zephaniah is not up there going, 871 00:39:06,547 --> 00:39:07,963 guys, please hear me. 872 00:39:08,019 --> 00:39:09,787 Like, this might help your life. 873 00:39:09,851 --> 00:39:12,283 No, he's up there going, thus saith the Lord. 874 00:39:12,339 --> 00:39:13,883 There's judgment coming. 875 00:39:14,059 --> 00:39:15,307 You need to repent. 876 00:39:15,371 --> 00:39:17,255 You need to seek after God. 877 00:39:17,835 --> 00:39:18,417 And. 878 00:39:18,531 --> 00:39:20,985 And so I think that's how we should preach the message. 879 00:39:21,685 --> 00:39:25,465 With love, with grace, with meekness, with humility. 880 00:39:25,805 --> 00:39:28,005 And so I have great respect for Zephaniah. 881 00:39:28,045 --> 00:39:31,989 I have great respect for those that were the prophets there speaking 882 00:39:32,037 --> 00:39:34,077 to people that were already in rebellion. 883 00:39:34,261 --> 00:39:37,733 So we'll come back in a couple weeks to conclude our study in the 884 00:39:37,749 --> 00:39:39,485 Book of Zephaniah. 885 00:39:39,645 --> 00:39:41,413 Hope this has been a good study for you. 886 00:39:41,549 --> 00:39:44,085 I don't know how many of you have actually gone through a formal 887 00:39:44,125 --> 00:39:45,371 study of the Book of Zephaniah. 888 00:39:45,453 --> 00:39:47,175 Maybe some of you that have been in church for a long time, you 889 00:39:47,215 --> 00:39:47,795 have. 890 00:39:48,455 --> 00:39:50,815 I'm sure most of you have read through it at some point in your 891 00:39:50,855 --> 00:39:54,275 studies, but it's not one that you hear quite frequently. 892 00:39:54,815 --> 00:39:58,703 Most of the minor prophets, short of a couple of the ones that 893 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:01,767 we know of really well, like Jonah and the others, we don't hear 894 00:40:01,791 --> 00:40:02,983 a lot of the prophets. 895 00:40:03,159 --> 00:40:05,959 One that's a really deep one, if you want to get to sometime, and 896 00:40:05,967 --> 00:40:08,375 it's a tough one to get through, is Obadiah. 897 00:40:08,455 --> 00:40:10,831 Obadiah is all about the judgment of the Edomites. 898 00:40:10,903 --> 00:40:13,385 And, you know, it's. 899 00:40:13,545 --> 00:40:16,105 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, right? 900 00:40:16,145 --> 00:40:18,065 So all scripture we need to go through. 901 00:40:18,225 --> 00:40:20,617 So there are passages that are more difficult than others to wrap 902 00:40:20,641 --> 00:40:21,201 our minds around. 903 00:40:21,233 --> 00:40:24,153 But when you understand the context and you understand the way 904 00:40:24,169 --> 00:40:28,505 that it connects to us today, I think it would be, you know, appropriate 905 00:40:28,545 --> 00:40:30,073 to portray that to our children. 906 00:40:30,129 --> 00:40:33,241 Because, you know, for my kids, you know, they know all the 907 00:40:33,313 --> 00:40:34,985 great classic Bible stories. 908 00:40:35,025 --> 00:40:35,249 If. 909 00:40:35,297 --> 00:40:37,403 And I don't know if you guys know this. 910 00:40:37,529 --> 00:40:41,275 There's this, like, there's a number that you can call that. 911 00:40:41,855 --> 00:40:44,863 If you call the number, there's a recording that does Bible 912 00:40:44,919 --> 00:40:45,319 stories. 913 00:40:45,407 --> 00:40:47,999 And they have, like, the long version and the short version I used 914 00:40:48,007 --> 00:40:49,039 to do when I was a kid. 915 00:40:49,127 --> 00:40:50,799 When I was a kid, this guy came into our church and he gave 916 00:40:50,807 --> 00:40:53,007 us a little card and we called it. 917 00:40:53,111 --> 00:40:54,527 And so when I was a little kid, I would do that. 918 00:40:54,551 --> 00:40:56,335 I would call in and hear Bible stories. 919 00:40:56,495 --> 00:40:58,439 And I was sitting around with my kids. 920 00:40:58,527 --> 00:40:59,519 We do family worship. 921 00:40:59,567 --> 00:41:01,783 And I was sitting around one day, and I was thinking, like, I 922 00:41:01,799 --> 00:41:04,633 wonder if that guy still is recorded on that phone number. 923 00:41:04,689 --> 00:41:05,777 So I rack. 924 00:41:05,801 --> 00:41:06,465 I called my parents. 925 00:41:06,505 --> 00:41:07,785 I'm like, do you guys have that card? 926 00:41:07,825 --> 00:41:08,745 They're like, I don't know. 927 00:41:08,825 --> 00:41:09,457 Can't find that. 928 00:41:09,481 --> 00:41:10,369 I was looking everywhere. 929 00:41:10,457 --> 00:41:12,009 And so, of course, you know, you have the Internet. 930 00:41:12,057 --> 00:41:13,121 So I Googled it and found. 931 00:41:13,153 --> 00:41:14,145 And I found the same. 932 00:41:14,225 --> 00:41:17,081 I remember the guy's voice, and he goes through the Bible stories. 933 00:41:17,233 --> 00:41:19,769 And, you know, there's the short version, like, if your kids, 934 00:41:19,817 --> 00:41:21,353 you know, you get the kids to bed faster. 935 00:41:21,409 --> 00:41:22,697 There's a shorter version. 936 00:41:22,881 --> 00:41:23,985 There's a longer version. 937 00:41:24,065 --> 00:41:25,921 My kids always want the longer version, right? 938 00:41:25,993 --> 00:41:27,697 They're like, dad, can we do the long one? 939 00:41:27,721 --> 00:41:29,209 Cause they just want to prolong their night. 940 00:41:29,257 --> 00:41:33,273 And, you know, but, you know, he doesn't talk about some of these. 941 00:41:33,329 --> 00:41:35,241 And so that's one of the things, like sometimes with our kids, 942 00:41:35,273 --> 00:41:38,753 I want to tell them, like every so often, give them an obscure 943 00:41:38,809 --> 00:41:40,185 Bible story that they need to. 944 00:41:40,225 --> 00:41:42,433 That'd be cool to know, and just kind of go through that with 945 00:41:42,449 --> 00:41:42,577 them. 946 00:41:42,601 --> 00:41:45,065 And that helps them understand the bigger picture. 947 00:41:45,185 --> 00:41:49,121 So I will digress and all that, but appreciate you guys being 948 00:41:49,153 --> 00:41:51,285 here and going through the Book of Zephaniah with us. 949 00:41:52,705 --> 00:41:55,289 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 950 00:41:55,337 --> 00:41:56,105 podcast. 951 00:41:56,265 --> 00:41:58,765 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 952 00:41:59,185 --> 00:42:01,441 If you would like to find out more information about our church 953 00:42:01,473 --> 00:42:05,161 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 954 00:42:05,313 --> 00:42:08,045 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 955 00:42:08,505 --> 00:42:12,969 You can also email me directly at joshmasaroiddletownbaptistchurch 956 00:42:13,017 --> 00:42:17,489 dot com if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 957 00:42:17,537 --> 00:42:20,525 along for future podcasts and updates. 958 00:42:20,905 --> 00:42:21,993 Thank you so much. 959 00:42:22,129 --> 00:42:22,993 God bless. 960 00:42:23,129 --> 00:42:24,145 Have a wonderful day.