Sermon Tone Analysis

*Zephaniah.*

*Intro:* Who believes the Bible?

Did God write it?

Is what He wrote true? – Good, well let’s read it!

*[P]* [read *Zephaniah 1:1-3* /This is the message that יְהוָה gave to Zephaniah during the time that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah.

(Zephaniah was descended from King Hezekiah through Amariah, Gedaliah, and Cushi.)

יְהוָה  said, “I am going to destroy everything on earth, all human beings and animals, birds and fish.

I will bring about the downfall of the wicked.

I will destroy the whole human race, and no survivors will be left.

I, יְהוָה, have spoken.

/[TEV]] Do you ever get astounded by God’s Word?! Does it make you tremble?! Well it should!

Here יְהוָה says that He Himself has spoken.

What He has said carries the authority of His Name!

And what does He say?: *[P]* “/I am going to destroy everything on earth! - All human beings and animals, birds and fish.

I will bring about the downfall of the wicked!

I will destroy everything!

– and no one will be left!/”

I ask again: “Do you believe God’s Word?!” יְהוָה is going to destroy everything here on earth– He says it twice, He swears by His Name, He couldn’t be more emphatic!

Doesn’t that make you tremble?! Then I don’t know what will!

I mean, I’d be upset if I came home from work to find my house had been burnt to the ground – but no doubt we’d find somewhere else to stay.

But what if we were on holiday and returned to find a nuclear bomb had been dropped on Christchurch – now that is a disaster, but I guess we could go and live in Invercargill.

But what if a massive earthquake destroyed NZ – well there is still Australia.

When I read accounts of war and I never fail to be amazed by the resilience and resourcefulness of people in the face of disaster.

We will find a way, life will go on.

But this is the destruction of everything!

What do you do then?! If I think it’s a disaster if my car is totalled, what is this?!

These words should smite us to the core!

Do we believe what is written here in these verses?!

It is the end of everything!!

This world is completely rotten and the only thing for it is complete destruction.

Now who of us delights in the ways of יְהוָה?

Who says: “Even so let it be, come Lord Jesus”?

That is the response of the saints in Revelation [*Revelation 15:1-4* /Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.

And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvellous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!

“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?

For You alone are holy; for all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”/].

Now this is pretty drastic action – it don’t come much more severe than this!

What on earth was going on to merit such a response from יְהוָה?!

More to the point what was going on on earth that יְהוָה was about to destroy it?!

*Background to Zephaniah:* We know the context of this prophecy – it tells us that it was written in the time of Josiah *[P]*.

Do you remember Josiah, son of that wicked king, Mannasseh?

Josiah came to the throne when he was but a boy, eight years old, Hannah’s age!

His dad may have been bad but he was one of the best kings Israel ever had *[P]* [*2 Chronicles 34:1-7* /Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

He did right in the sight of יְהוָה, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images.

They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins, he also tore down the altars and beat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel.

Then he returned to Jerusalem/.]

So very early on he instituted reform, he rid the land of idolatry *[P]*.

Furthermore he maintained this zeal for יְהוָה throughout his reign.

In his eighteenth year he had the temple repaired, and when this was done a copy of the book of the Law (possibly Deuteronomy) was discovered *[P]* [*2 Chronicles 34:14-21* /When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of יְהוָה, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of יְהוָה given by Moses.

Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of יְהוָה.”

And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.

Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was entrusted to your servants they are doing.

“They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of יְהוָה, and have delivered it into the hands of the supervisors and the workmen.”

Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.”

And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.

Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of יְהוָה for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of יְהוָה which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of יְהוָה, to do according to all that is written in this book.”/].

Josiah was sensitive to יְהוָה and repented.

He instituted reform and celebrated Passover *[P]* [*2 Chronicles 35:18-19** */There had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated/*.*].

There was revival in the days of Josiah – yet we have a prophecy like this! How can that be?!

In actual fact the kingdom of Judah was very near its end.

This revival was like a last gasp of spiritual life.

Do you know that archaeological excavations in Jerusalem have unearthed idolatrous places of worship dating from the time of Josiah?

While this spiritual reform was going on on the surface, underneath people were carrying on with their idolatry!

*[P]* I grew up in the seventies – great things were happening spiritually in this land at that time – not that it had any effect on me!

That is when so many of those Scripture in song chorus were written.

People were turning to God and there was an outpouring of worship.

God was doing things!

Exciting times!

Do you remember “March for Jesus”?

Murrie Thomas?

There were thousands of us all marching (as was the way back then) – and I was there marching along with everybody!

I was ashamed to own up to being a Christian to my mates, I was living in rebellion with no interest in God – but it was easy to go along with what was happening.

I remember being surprised to see a class mate there in the rally – he was as godless as I was! Genuine things were happening but there were many, like me, whose heart was not there at all.

What you see on the surface is not necessarily how it is [Triumphal entry to Jerusalem, a few days later Jesus was crucified].

Josiah was genuine, he instituted reform – that was good – but the heart of majority was still in their idolatry.

Some people think that if we get Christians in government everything will be put right.

You cannot legislate and by governmental decree make people worship God – it was Constantine’s great mistake – he made Christianity the religion of the empire – but it had a disastrous effect on the Church.

You didn’t make the people Christian by decree.

It is where you own heart is that counts.

On the surface it appeared that the nation was spiritually healthy but destruction was at the door.

In just over 20 years the kingdom would be no more!

The reform was superficial, Josiah was genuine but the people were not really with him.

Look at the stats 60% of New Zealanders record themselves as Christian, but only 14% attend church – that’s including the liberals and Catholics – on the surface we look like a Christian nation, but how many really are?

Where is our heart?! Destruction was imminent in Zephaniah’s day!

What about our own?!

This prophecy was valid, relevant and true!

It is a serious and urgent warning!

*[P]*

*The Day of יְהוָה!

*– Some people reckon that you have to claim God’s promises – well here is one for you to claim!

Twice יְהוָה promises to destroy everything – has He gone back on His word?

Has He changed His mind?

– Or is this still His intention?

If it is, then we have been given prior warning.