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Zephaniah Overall

 
Zephaniah - Through Judgment To Blessing (1:1-3:20)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. In our survey of "The Minor Prophets" we now come to the first of
 three prophets who preached to Judah alone
following the downfall
  of the northern kingdom of Israel
 
2. The prophet is Zephaniah
whose name means "Jehovah Hides"
 a. Concerning the MAN
 1) King Hezekiah was his great-great-grandfather - Zeph 1:1
 2) This has prompted some to call him "the royal prophet"
  3) He was contemporary with Jeremiah
as were Nahum and Habakkuk
 b. Concerning his MESSAGE
 1) Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah
king of Judah
 a) Josiah ruled from 640-609 B.C.
 b) He was a good king
a great reformer - 2 Chr 34:1-3
29-34;
 35:1-19
 c) Josiah's reforms were short-lived
however
and the nation
 soon apostasized after his death
 2) Zephaniah proclaimed the coming "day of the Lord" - cf. Zeph 
 1:7
14-16
  a) So vivid are his descriptions that George Adam Smith wrote:
 "No hotter book lies in all the Old Testament."
 b) And yet it ends on an encouraging note concerning the 
 future
 -- Therefore its overall message is: "Through Judgment To 
 Blessing"
 
[As we get into the book
we note that it can be divided into three 
sections. The first section encouraged the people to "look within"...]
 
I. GOD'S WRATH COMING UPON JUDAH
 
 A. THE LORD IS BRINGING JUDGMENT!
 1. The prophet announces a universal and all-consuming judgment
 - Zeph 1:1-3
 2. With special mention and attention given Judah - Zeph 1:4-6
 
 B. THE "DAY OF THE LORD" IS AT HAND!
 1. This "day" as it will affect Judah and Jerusalem - Zeph 1:7-13
 a. Punishment upon the princes and king's children (note
the
 king himself is not mentioned)
and upon those who are full
 of violence and deceit
 b. There will wailing and mourning in the city of Jerusalem
 c. The Lord will search out and punish the complacent
 2. This great "day" described - Zeph 1:14-18
 a. A day that is near and hastens quickly
 b. A day of devastation
desolation
darkness
and distress
 c. A day in which silver and gold cannot deliver one from the
 Lord's wrath
 
 C. AND SO - A CALL FOR THE NATION TO REPENT!
 1. Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon them - Zeph
 2:1-2
 2. To seek the Lord
to seek righteousness
to seek humility
 - Zeph 2:3
 
[Having encouraged the people to "look within" and see the need for
their own repentance
Zephaniah now prompts the people to "look around"
to see...]
 
II. GOD'S WRATH COMING UPON SURROUNDING NATIONS
 
 A. GOD'S JUDGMENT ON NATIONS EAST AND WEST...
 1. Philistia - Zeph 2:4-7
 a. It's cities will be made desolate
the inhabitants 
 destroyed
 b. The land will be for the remnant of Judah
whose captivity
 God will restore
 2. Moab & Ammon - Zeph 2:8-11
 a. They shall be like Sodom and Gomorrah
 b. Because of their pride
and for their mocking reproach of
 God's people
 c. And God will one day be worshipped by people from all
  nations
 
 B. GOD'S JUDGMENT ON NATIONS SOUTH AND NORTH...
 1. Ethiopia will by slain by the sword - Zeph 2:12
 2. Assyria with its capital Nineveh will become desolate - Zeph 
 2:13-15
 
 C. AND SO - WOE TO JERUSALEM...
 1. She has rebelled against the Lord - Zeph 3:1-5
 a. She has not obeyed His voice nor drawn near to Him
 b. Her civil and religious leaders are like lions and wolves

 insolent and doing violence to the Law
 c. The unjust knows no shame; the Lord
however
is righteous
 and never fails in His justice
 2. She has ignored God's judgment upon other nations - Zeph 3:6-7
 a. Which should have prompted her to receive God's instruction
 b. But instead the people corrupted all their deeds
 
[Finally
lest the faithful remnant despair
Zephaniah ends his message
with a "look beyond"...]
 
III. THROUGH JUDGMENT TO BLESSING
 
 A. WAIT UPON THE LORD...
 1. The faithful are told to wait for Lord to carry out His 
 judgment - Zeph 3:8
 2. Even as Micah said he would do - cf. Mic 7:7-9
 
 B. GOD WILL RESTORE HIS PEOPLE...
 1. After His judgment
God will restore to the peoples 
 (Gentiles?) a "pure language" to worship and serve Him in one
 accord - Zeph 3:9
 2. His dispersed ones (Israel?) shall bring offerings from afar 
 - Zeph 3:10
 3. God will remove the proud from His "holy mountain"
leaving a
 meek and humble people who will trust and rest in the Lord 
 - Zeph 3:11-13
 
 C. AND SO - THERE WILL BE JOY IN JERUSALEM...
 1. For the Lord will remove their judgments and their enemies 
 - Zeph 3:14-15
 2. For the Lord will be in their midst
providing them with 
  gladness
love and singing - Zeph 3:16-17
 3. For the Lord has given them great assurance - Zeph 3:18-20
 a. God will gather those who sorrow over the reproach of His
 people
 b. God will deal with those who afflicted His people
 c. God will gather those who have been driven out
and give
 them fame and praise
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. The message of Zephaniah is a simple one: Judgment is coming
but
 blessings will follow for those who heed the warning to repent
 a. It was a message that would later comfort the remnant taken away
 into Babylonian captivity
 b. It was a message that perhaps had an initial fulfillment 
 following their restoration under Zerubbabel
Ezra and Nehemiah
 c. But I believe the ultimate fulfillment pertains to the age of the
 Messiah
 1) Which began with the establishment of His spiritual kingdom

 the church
 a) Into which God is "gathering" His people - cf. 1 Th 2:12
 b) In which we enjoy the presence of God and His blessings 
 - cf. He 12:22-24
 2) Which will be culminated when Jesus comes again - Re 21:1-22:5
 
2. The message of the apostles is not really much different today...
 a. The "day of the Lord" (of which Zephaniah's "day" was a type) is
 coming - 2 Pe 3:7-10
 b. God's people (i.e.
the church) are admonished to remain faithful
 - 2 Pe 3:11-14
 
Are we heeding that message? For those willing to listen
here is what
else Peter had to say...
 
 "Repent therefore and be converted
that your sins may be blotted
 out
so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of 
 the Lord
and that He may send Jesus Christ
who was preached to
 you before
whom heaven must receive until the times of 
 restoration of all things
which God has spoken by the mouth of
 all His holy prophets since the world began. (Ac 3:19-21)
 
Be converted through your obedience to the gospel of Christ (cf. Mk 16:
15-16; Ac 2:38)
and you too can "look beyond" the coming judgment for
the blessings to follow!

－－《Executable Outlines》