Go with me again to Zephaniah chapter 3. And if you didn't mark it, I'll
just say it's the fourth book from the end in the Old Testament. Zephaniah 3. This has happened
before, but I received a letter from someone And a scripture
was written on the bottom of it. You know how you'll sign
your sign, your name, and then sometimes you'll put a scripture
on the bottom. Well, I received a letter and somebody had put
a scripture and I turned to the scripture and I read it and it
blessed me so much. The Lord laid it on my heart
to bring a message from it. As soon as I read it, I knew.
I'm gonna have to bring a message from this. It just, it blessed
me so much. The scripture was Zephaniah 3,
verse 17. Zephaniah 3, 17 says, the Lord
thy God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with
joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing. That is the heart of the book
of Zephaniah. That was Zephaniah's message
to God's people. Now tonight, I want to show us
the book of Zephaniah. All right, I want us to have
a reading overview. This may be a little different
from normal, but I just want to give an overview of the book
of Zephaniah. This is not a book that we would
normally think of to turn to and read. But I want us to see
that the message that we preach right now, the message that we
preach today, this is the same message That all of God's preachers
and all of God's prophets have preached from the beginning.
It is still the same message. We're going to, I believe we're
truly going to see this and enter into this and all we have time
to do. This is only, there's only three
very short chapters. I think of Ruth as being a very
short book. This one's a quarter of that
or a half of that. Three very short chapters, but
even so, we're just gonna skim it very quickly. All of this deserves a deeper
look. I thought about just staying
in these ending verses that we read, but I believe the Lord
has laid it on my heart for us to just see the book of Zephaniah.
So that's what I want to do. We're gonna have an overview.
And I pray that the Spirit will bless the message in it to our
hearts. I sincerely do. We are going
to see Zephaniah declared the problem, and there's a problem in the
world. There's a problem in this world. And he's gonna tell us
what it is. It's still the same problem.
We're going to see the problem. We're going to see the remedy.
He told us exactly what the remedy is. And that's why we're still
preaching. There's a remedy. There's a problem. There's a remedy. And we're going
to see that the remedy all hinges on Christ the Lord. It all hinges
on him. We're going to work our way to
Zephaniah three, verse eight, Zephaniah three, verse eight,
which says, therefore, wait ye upon me, saith the Lord. That's the title of this message. Therefore, wait ye upon me. we're gonna see that our Lord
was the only one who could do anything about this horrible
condition we were in, that we are in, men and women are in.
So let's get right into it, all right? Look with me if you would
at chapter one. Zephaniah one, verse one. He begins his message with the
truth of man's sin, and God's holy judgment against it. And
that's where the message must start. If men and women don't
hear this, they're not going to hear the horrible condition
that they truly are in. They will be blind and they will
be ignorant to the reality of their condition. Zephaniah 1.1,
it says, the word of the Lord, which came unto Zephaniah, the
son of Cushiah, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of
Hischiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Ammon, king of Judah,
I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the
Lord. I will consume man and beast. I will consume the files of the
heaven and the fishes of the sea and the stumbling blocks
with the wicked. And I will cut off man from off
the land sayeth the Lord. That's what he said in the days
of Noah. And he did well, he's saying, that's what I'm going
to do again. And he will. Verse four, I will also stretch
out mine hand upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant
of Baal from this place in the name of the Kimarims with the
priests and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops. And them that worship and that
swear by the Lord and that swear by Malcolm and them that are
turned back from the Lord and those that have not sought the
Lord nor inquired acquired of him. And that was the problem.
I'm going to tell you what he just said. He said, I'm going to destroy
everything because they are swearing by the Lord. And by Malcolm,
that's what they're doing. Malcolm was the little G God
of the Ammonites. They're swearing by both. They
were worshiping the Lord and idols. And that's what men and
women are doing today. That's what they are doing today
in the name of worshiping the Lord. The Lord, Jesus Christ,
the true and living God in the name of worshiping the Lord.
They have their little man-made idols that they're adding to
it, adding to their worship in the process of doing that. They
are stealing the glory away from the Lord alone, and they are
sharing it with something else. That's what is happening today.
The glory alone is leaving him and it's being shared. And God
said, I will not have it. And he's going to go on to say,
I'm a jealous God. And he says, I'm going to destroy
that wickedness from off the face of this earth. Verse seven,
he said, hold that peace at the presence of the Lord God for
the day of the Lord is at hand for the Lord hath prepared a
sacrifice. He hath bid his guests. And it
shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that
I will punish the princes and the king's children, all such
as are clothed with strange apparel." Something other than the righteousness
of Christ. If we read this with our spiritual
eyes, if we approach God in any strange apparel, other than the
righteousness of Christ, He won't hold up. He won't stand. Verse
nine. In the same day also will I punish
all those that leap on the threshold which fill their master's house
with violence and deceit, And it shall come to pass in that
day, saith the Lord, that there shall be a noise of a cry from
the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great
crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of MacTesh,
for all the merchant people are cut down, and they that bear
silver are cut off. And it shall come to pass at
that time that I will search Jerusalem with candles and punish
the men that are settled on their leaves." They're just sitting
on their hind ends. You know, metaphorically, spiritually
speaking, drunken with their wine. "...that say in their heart,
the Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil." And I'm gonna
tell you that is exactly what men and women are saying right
now. The Lord's not gonna do either
one. That's what they're saying. He's
not gonna do anything. One way or the other, this thing's
just gonna go and man's gonna whatever. Verse 12, it shall
come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with
candles and punish the men that are settled on their leaves that
say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, neither will
he do evil. Therefore their goods shall become
a booty like treasure that pirates steal, stolen. and their houses
a desolation. They shall also build houses,
but not inhabit them. And they shall plant vineyards,
but not drink the wine thereof." That's the exact opposite of
what the Lord said about his people. Verse 14, the great day
of the Lord is near. Listen to Zephaniah as he's preaching,
okay? Verse 14, the great day of the
Lord is near. It is near and hasteth greatly. Even the voice of the day of
the Lord, the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. He thinks
he's mighty, but he's going to cry bitterly. That day is a day
of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness
and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds
and thick darkness. A day of the trumpet and alarm
against the fenced cities and against the high towers. And
I will bring distress upon men that they shall walk like blind
men because they have sinned against the Lord and their blood
shall be poured out as dust and their flesh as the dunk. Neither
their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the
day of the Lord's wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured
by the fire of his jealousy, for he shall make even a speedy
riddance of all them that dwell in the land. How awful. How awful. You know, this is
not being told anymore. You know how old fashioned this
is? Do you know how current this is? Do you know how relative
this is? Zephaniah, I thought of Jeremiah
while I was reading this. Jeremiah was called the weeping
prophet, just weeping with people, just crying over people. He was
saying, listen, listen, you don't know what's coming. Be warned, be warned, judgment is
coming. This is a jealous God we're dealing
with. This is a holy God we're dealing
with. And His fierce wrath is going
to come down on sin, and that's what we are. So chapter 2, he
said, verse 1, gather yourselves together, yea, gather together,
O nation not desired, before the decree bring forth, before
the day passes the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord
come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon
you. Verse three, he said, seek ye
the Lord. Seek ye the Lord. That was Zephaniah's
message. Seek ye the Lord. That was Isaiah's
message. Seek ye the Lord. He said, seek
ye the Lord while he may be found. Call on Him. Cry out to Him while
He is near. If I could just have a moment
of honesty with everybody, I strongly encourage myself and every person
here to cry out to the Lord and cry, Lord, I am seeking You.
I am seeking mercy from You. Before that great day comes,
I need Your blood. I need Your mercy. I'm serious. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord. That is the message. Call on
Him while He's near. That's still the message today.
Wrath is coming. Tell everybody you know. Wrath
is coming. Do you know that only God's people
will do that? You know that? I mean, you just
plead with men and women up here. You're just pleading and, and
just gut-wrenchingly crying, seek the Lord. And only God's
people will receive a heart of faith to believe and cry out,
Lord, I'm seeking. Only God's people will do that.
This message goes out to everybody, but only God's people will receive
an ear to hear. Sometimes we wonder, am I one
of his own? Well, have I received an ear
to hear? Only God's people will receive
a heart to believe. Only God's people will cry like
David did, thy face, Lord, will I seek. He will say through his
word, seek my face. And his people, all of them will
cry, thy face, Lord, will I seek. I am coming to you, Lord. I am
running to you. Say that in your heart to him.
I forsake my way. That's what Isaiah cried. Let
the wicked forsake his way. And it's because my only hope
is to be pardoned by you. Only God's people will receive
a heart to do that. May that be us. Really, honestly,
may we receive a heart to do this. Because he said in verse
three, seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have
wrought his judgment, seek righteousness, that's Christ. The righteousness
of God, he is the righteousness of God, the end of the law for
righteousness. He went on to say, seek meekness,
that's Christ. He said, learn of me, I am meekness. Watch this, you ready? He went on to say, look at the
end of verse three. He said, it may be you shall be hid in
the day of the Lord's anger. Now buddy, that's the gospel.
That is the gospel. Zephaniah said, this is bad,
this is so bad. Cry out to him, seek the Lord,
run to him. It may be that he may safely
hide you in the rock. He may cover you there with His
hands. He may hide you in the secret
of His tabernacle. That means His body. That means
His person. Your life, Zephaniah said, may
end up being hid with Christ in God. How beautiful is that? How wonderful, this is just a
beautiful New Testament gospel message in the end of the Old
Testament. Verse 3, seek ye the Lord, all
ye Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought
his judgment. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. It may be you shall be hid in
the day of the Lord's anger. For Gaza shall be forsaken, and
Ashkelon a desolation. They shall drive out Ashdod at
the noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants
of the sea coast! The nation of the Karathites,
the word of the Lord is against you. O Canaan, the land of the
Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no
inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be dwellings
and cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks." He's saying,
I'm gonna do something for a particular people. Verse seven, and the
coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They shall
feed there upon in the houses of Ashkelon. They shall lie down
in the evening for the Lord, their God shall visit them and
turn away their captivity. I'm going to do something glorious
for a people. I'm going to give an inheritance to a particular
people. Verse eight, I've heard the reproach of Moab and the
revelings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached
my people and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore,
as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, surely
Moab shall be a Sodom and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah.
even the breeding of nettles and salt pits, and a perpetual
desolation. The residue of my people shall
spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached
and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of Hosts. The Lord will be terrible unto
them for he will famish all the gods of the earth and men shall
worship him. Everyone from his place, even
all the isles of the heat. And what he's saying is every
knee is going to bow, whether in judgment or mercy. That's
what he's saying. Every knee is going to bow to
the Almighty Sovereign God. Verse 12. Ye Ethiopians also,
you shall be slain by my sword. And he will stretch out his hand
against the north and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh
a desolation and dry like a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in
the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations, both the cormorant
and the bitter, and those are birds, they shall lodge in the
upper lintels of it, Their voice shall sing in the windows, desolation
shall be in the thresholds, for he shall uncover the cedar work.
This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in
her heart, I am, and there's none beside me. How is she become
a desolation, a place for bees to lie down in? Everyone that
passeth by her shall hiss and wag his hand. I am, there's none
beside me." Sin against God is everywhere. It's everywhere. And he said, that's what is going
to happen to every soul who rejects the true and living God who has
said, he said, I am, there is none beside me. But to every
wicked soul who says in his sinful flesh, no, I am. There's none beside me. Psalm
14 says, The fool hath said in his heart, No, God. Men and women are saying that
all over this world. To every soul, Zephaniah says
in chapter 3 verse 1, woe to her that is filthy and polluted
to the oppressing city. She obeyed not the voice. She
received not correction. She trusted not in the Lord.
She drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring
lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They gnaw not the bones till
the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous
persons. Her priests have polluted the
sanctuary. They have done violence to the
law." They've just left the true and living God altogether, completely. Verse five, the just Lord is
in the midst thereof. He will not do iniquity. Every
morning does he bring judgment to light. He faileth not, but
the unjust knoweth no shame. I have cut off the nations. Their
towers are desolate. I made their streets waste that
none passeth by. Their cities are destroyed so
that there is no man. that there is none inhabitant,
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction,
so their dwellings should not be cut off. Howsoever I punished
them, but they rose early and corrupted all their doings." Everything on this earth that
does not bow the knee to this God is going to be destroyed. And but for the grace of God,
so would we. So would we. If God did not have
mercy on us, what he's saying is, you think, well, surely there's
some good places on this earth. What he's saying is the whole
thing is corrupted. Isaiah 40 said, all the isles
of the earth are nothing to him. They are reputed as nothing,
less than nothing. The Lord looked down from heaven
to see if there were any that did seek God and understand.
There are none. They're all filthy. And verse
eight, the Lord said, and here's the good news. Verse eight, he
said, therefore, wait ye upon me. saith the Lord." It's all ruined. Man ruined it. He said, my instruction
went out to man and man wouldn't do it. He couldn't do it. He
ruined it. But I've chosen a people. I've
chosen a remnant to redeem and to restore. Therefore, he said
in verse eight, wait ye upon me. That is the message that
has always been the message that will always be the message. Wait
on the Lord. Look to the Lord. Seek the Lord. He said, I'm going to do something
about it. I'm going to do something about it. And that is the hope
and the glory of the gospel of Christ in spite of us. He says, I'm going to do something
about it. That's the same thing as the
Apostle Paul writing, but God, but God, wait ye upon the Lord,
seek him, look to him. You know, all the people asked
Moses, they were standing there at the Red Sea and they were
asking Moses, how are we gonna get ourselves out of the mess
that we got ourselves into? And Moses said, stand still and
see the salvation of the Lord. Wait ye upon the Lord. David
said, wait on the Lord, be of good courage, he'll strengthen
your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. You
ruined it, he'll fix it. Look to him, run to him, cry
out to him. Verse 8, Therefore wait ye upon
me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey.
For my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble
the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my
fierce anger. For all the earth shall be devoured
with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people
a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the
Lord to serve Him with one consent." What he's saying is, I'm gonna
remove this wicked, sinful heart, and I'm gonna put in a heart
of flesh. I'm gonna put in the heart of
Christ, and they're gonna turn to me, all of them. Verse 10,
from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my suppliants, even the daughter
of my dispersed, All of them shall bring mine offering. They're
all gonna bring the offering that I provide for them. Verse 11, he said, in that day
shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast
transgressed against me. He said, you did it too, just
like everybody else did. But he said, in that day, you're
not gonna be ashamed. He went on to say, for then I will take
away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride,
and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain.
I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor
people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Who
are the afflicted and poor people? That's us. That's the purged,
the redeemed, Verse 13 says, the remnant of Israel shall not
do iniquity, no more sin, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful
tongue be found in their mouth, for they shall feed and lie down
and none shall make them afraid. I think of how our Lord is constantly
calling us His sheep, His sheep. And He said, He said that my
sheep are gonna eat and they're going to lie down in a good fold
in a fat pasture. I'm going to give them rest.
I'm going to lead them by waters of quietness. He said at the
end of verse 13, they shall feed and lie down. None shall make
them afraid. So here's the glorious announcement
to God's people because of what he did for them. in hiding them
through the anger of the Lord, through that fierce wrath on
sin, and delivering them from the hand of the enemy and redeeming
them to the fold of the kingdom. Verse 14, he said, sing, O daughter
of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Be glad and
rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken
away thy judgments. He hath cast out thine enemy,
the King of Israel, even the Lord is in the midst of thee.
Thou shalt not see evil anymore. I am so thankful to hear that
our Lord said in that great day, he said, the gates of glory are
gonna be wide open and sin will never be able to walk in, never
again. He said, you're not gonna see
evil anymore. Won't you rejoice in the day
that you never see evil ever again? Verse 16 says, in that
day it shall be said to Jerusalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let
not thy hands be slack. That means faint. The Lord thy God in the midst
of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice
over thee with joy. He will rest in His love. He will joy over thee with singing. He chose you and loved you and
gave Himself for you. Verse 18, He said, I will gather
them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly. who are of thee,
to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time
I will undo all that afflict thee, and I will save her that
halteth, and gather her that was driven out, and I will get
them praise and fame in every land where they've been put to
shame." He said, I'm gonna gather every soul that has halted and
been driven out, it reminds me of that song, Sinners the Lord
Jesus will receive. And that's what Zephaniah is
crying. Sound this word of grace to all who the heavenly pathway
leave, all who linger in fear. and all who have fallen in their
sins. Sing it over and over again. Christ receiveth sinful men.
Make the message clear and plain. Christ receiveth sinful men and
women. Verse 20. At that time will I
bring you again, even in the time that I gather you. For I
will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth
when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord."
What he's saying is, the glory that the Father has given to
me, I'm gonna give it to you. And he said, you're gonna see,
you're gonna see your captivity turned back. You're gonna, with
your eyes, see what I've done for you. And you're going to
cry unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His
own blood." What a glorious announcement that is. What a glorious message,
a wonderful message. That is simply the declaration
of what Christ has done for His sinful people. And after having declared that,
I just thought about the fact that we just read the book. After
declaring it, I thought, I don't want to add anything to it. I
don't want to take anything from it. I want to say, amen. And
we'll leave it right there. All right, Brother Dwight, you
come.