RETURN TO ME: ZEPHANIAH

• Zephaniah served God during the reign of king Josiah in the southern kingdom of Judah 640-621 b.C.
• Josiah’s became king at 8 years old.
• Zephaniah, ministered during the early years of King Josiah’s reign before the revival began and when people were still living in sin.
• Structure of the book:
  • Chapter 1: Terrible judgment coming as a result of sin.
  • Chapter 2: God gives hope through an urgent call for people to humble themselves and repent.
  • Chapter 3: Promises of future restoration for those who humble themselves.

• Judgment against all the earth:
  • Zephaniah 1:2-3 2 “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord. 3 “I will sweep away people and animals alike. I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea. I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble, and I will wipe humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
  • Remember that the warnings and promises of the prophets are for all people today.

• Judgment against Judah, its capital Jerusalem, and its spiritual leaders:
  • Zephaniah 1:4-5 4 I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear. 5 For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the Lord, but then they worship Molech, too.
  • Spiritual leaders back then and now will have to answer to God for the way they lived.

• Judgment against heads of state:
  • Zephaniah 1:7-8 7 Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near. The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners. 8 “On that day of judgment,” says the Lord, “I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs.
  • leaders of nations will be held accountable for their sinful lifestyles.

• Judgment against every person who lives comfortably in sin:
  • Zephaniah 1:12 I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.
  • No one will be able to escape or hide from God’s punishment for of their sins.
  • A true child of God can still sin, but he cannot be comfortable with a sinful lifestyle, with habitual sin.
  • Are we comfortable with sin?

• How terrible judgment will be:
  • Zephaniah 1:14-15 14 “That terrible day of the Lord is near. Swiftly it comes— a day of bitter tears, a day when even strong men will cry out. 15 It will be a day when the Lord’s anger is poured out— a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness…
  • The time of judgment will be terrible and dreadful. Yet, there are people who simply live their lives without thinking about the earthly and eternal consequences of their sins

• Why does God constantly describe how terrible the time will be when He pours out His wrath on sinners?
  • God, in his love, warns us by telling us of the horrible consequences of a life of sin.

• There’s a way out of Judgment:
  • Zephaniah 2:1-3 Gather together—yes, gather together, you shameless nation. 2 Gather before judgment begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff. Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins. 3 Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.
  • Jesus also urges people in Luke 13:24-25 to go through the narrow door before it closes. “Lord, open…”
  • Even the pagan nations representing non-Jews are also given hope.
  • Zephaniah 2:11 The Lord will terrify them as he destroys all the gods in the land. Then nations around the world will worship the Lord, each in their own land.

• Then, God gives promises of restoration to all nations & to the people of Israel:
  • Zephaniah 3:9 “Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the Lord together.
  • Zephaniah 3:11-13 11 On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on my holy mountain. 12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord. 13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will never tell lies or deceive one another…
  • Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
  • Those who humble themselves and repent have nothing to fear. No fear of judgment.

SUMMARY: God confronts people with their sin and lovingly warns them of the terrible consequences, but at the same time he gives them hope of salvation through repentance and future promises of restoration.

• Matthew 13:41-42 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• Matthew 11:20-21a 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. 21 “What sorrow awaits you…
• Luke 13:5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”
• Jesus clearly teaches that a life of sin has terrible consequences in hell and that repentance is necessary.
• 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
• Talking about God’s wrath is not easy, it is not comfortable, it is not popular, but it is Biblical and at the same time necessary to talk about it along with God’s love that gives hope of eternal life.
• Talk about God’s wrath, but let’s do it with lots of humility, incredible patience, tons of love, with kindness, and with great care for people, but let’s never, never leave out the hope God in his love offers people through faith in Jesus and the repentance of our sins.

I acknowledge that I am a sinner and cannot save myself. I repent of my sin and ask You to forgive me. I believe that Jesus bled, suffered, and died on the cross for my sins, and that You raised Him from the dead. Today, I place my faith in Jesus alone—not in good works or a religion, but in a relationship.

Jesus, I confess You as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me. I surrender my life to You and ask You to help me follow and obey You from this day forward. Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and the gift of eternal life. In Jesus, name. Amen.

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