Sermon Tone Analysis

*Zephaniah 3*

[1:14-2:3]

*The day of יְהוָה*

*Intro:* Let us say the Lord’s Prayer: “ …… Thy Kingdom come!

….” – we pray for it.

It is praying for Jesus to return, to set up His throne in Zion.

A Kingdom that is an everlasting Kingdom, and a Dominion, that endures throughout all generations.

*/THE KING IS COMING!/* *[P]*We are looking for the day that the King comes.

When YHWH rules.

The King is coming – the day that He comes is His day – the DAY OF יְהוָה!

What a wonderful day!

This should preoccupy us, be our hope and motivation, the great event that we are looking forward to.

What will that day be like?

Zephaniah, more than any other book, speaks of the Day of the LORD.

(3x in Isaiah, 2x in Ezekiel & Amos, 5x in Joel, but 6x in Zephaniah.

So lets read of the Day of His coming:  *[P] *[*read  Zephaniah 1:7* /Be silent before the Lord יְהוָה!

For the day of יְהוָה is near, for יְהוָה has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests./,

*Zephaniah 1:14-2:3* /Near is the great day of יְהוָה, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of יְהוָה!

In it the warrior cries out bitterly.

A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.

I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against יְהוָה; and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of יְהוָה’s wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, o nation without shame, before the decree takes effect— the day passes like the chaff— before the burning anger of יְהוָה comes upon you, before the day of יְהוָה’s anger comes upon you.

Seek יְהוָה, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility.

Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the יְהוָה’s anger/.]

What does this book that speaks of this great day more than any other book in the Bible have to tell us about this day?

*[P]*

* *It is near* It says in (Zeph 1:7) and again in (Zeph 1:14)!

His day of judgement is not some distant event, far removed, irrelevant, academic speculation that may affect someone else - IT IS NEAR! *[P]* Judgement is about to fall!

We need to urgently do something about our godless state, our distance from Him! Now is the time to get right with the LORD before it is too late!

His day of judgement is imminent!

(Zeph 1:14) Many think that the Day of the LORD will never come, that there won’t be a day of judgement; others, though acknowledging it or admitting the possibility, think that it is a long way off – they put it out of mind –  " it been so long and nothing has happened yet."

But יְהוָהsays that the Day of the LORD, this terrible calamitous day, is NEAR! (note the emphasis).

It is a /great/ day, and it is coming FAST! [cf.

*Habakkuk 2:3* /“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.

Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay/.].

The sound of its approach can already be discerned by those who care to listen.

It is imminent!

The cry is close!

*/The day is near!/* Jesus said 3x in Revelation 22, “/Behold I come quickly/” – but it’s been 2000 years and still He has not come, perhaps it is going to be a long time yet.

But there are signs when something is about to happen.

I still remember when Rhoda was pregnant with Hannah – the test from the Doctor said that a baby was coming but you couldn’t see anything.

Later the midwife let us hear a heart beat – there was definitely something alive in there!

Rhoda got bigger, and it wasn’t my good cooking!

The signs were mounting; there was no doubt that she was gong to have a baby.

Rhoda likes walking in the hills and we did so even though she was carrying quite a load.

It was the day before she was due and we were walking in Victoria Park, and she felt a twinge – the first labour pain – it tells you something is imminent!

The pains got more severe and closer together – it was time to ring the midwife – it was about to happen!

So it is with the Day of יְהוָה – there are signs – Jesus told us in Matthew 24 what to expect, what the birth pangs are.

We have seen the establishment of the state of Israel in the land, the fig tree.

Wars and rumours of wars – there hasn’t been a century like the 20th for world war and nationalistic uprisings.

Earthquakes – a woman at work called Lesley has a great interest in geology, but not God; she keeps track of earthquakes – a dispassionate observer – she remarks about the increase in seismic activity – the birth pangs are happening!

The signs are there – Jesus’ return is near!

[*Romans 13:11-12*/ Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

The night is almost gone, and the day is near.

Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light/.].

* *It is a day of wrath* *[P]* (Zeph 1:15) says that that day is a day of wrath!

A bitter cry goes up! (Zeph 1:14) Even the courageous warrior will cry out in that day, in anguish and bitterness as he is overcome, powerless in that day.

The cry will go up because it is a terrible day, a day of wrath, not of peace.

What an awesome, dreadful DAY it will be!

Note the emphasis on this DAY (6x in one verse) – it is like repeated blows from a boxer until the opponent is knocked senseless, the wicked utterly destroyed.

יְהוָה’s accumulated wrath is unleashed!

It overflows in all consuming fury!

Earlier, some in Israel had an idealized view of the Day of the LORD, and Amos had to show them that, for those living in sin, that day was to be dreaded in horror – not as they imagined [cf.

*Amos 5:18-20* /Alas, you who are longing for the day of יְהוָה, for what purpose will the day of יְהוָה be to you?

It will be darkness and not light; as when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him.

Will not the day of יְהוָה be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?/].

Have we come to terms with the /reality/ of its coming?

Do we appreciate its imminence?

Do we have any idea of what it will be like?

We long for Jesus to return, for the day when He will come back – [cf.

*Malachi 3:1-3* /The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says יְהוָה of armies.

/(there they are delighting in the Lord, seeking Him)/ But who can endure the day of His coming?

And who can stand when He appears?

For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

“He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to יְהוָה offerings in righteousness/.]

We long for that day – but that is a day of when He comes as judge.

He is coming in wrath!

When He establishes righteousness and justice – but to do so His wrath is released against all unrighteousness – evil will be judged.

The NT talks of this day: [*Acts 17:31*/ He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead/.]

The Bible is absolutely consistent: [*Romans 2:16* /the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus/.]

* *It is a day of distress – desolation and destruction* *[P]* As Jesus’ judgement is unleashed, it bring distress to men (Zeph 1:17).

Verse (Zeph 1:15) tells us it is a day of trouble and distress, of destruction and desolation, of darkness and deep darkness, clouds and dark clouds.

Each build on the former - it is a day of terrible anguish, destruction and desolation as has never been know before in the dark history of man.

It is a */black day /*– it is a day of gloom and deepest darkness.

For the seventh time in a row (in Zeph 1:16) that "Day" is mentioned.

It is a day of trumpet blast – calling men to war.

Perhaps also the trumpet that sounds at the Lord’s return.

The trumpet summons the people.

This is the call to war – a battle against the cities and against man-made fortifications.

They may think that they have made themselves impregnable but YHWH will destroy them all.YHWH will destroy man who has put his trust in himself, his man-made security rather than trusting יְהוָה to be his defence.

[*Jeremiah 17:5* /Thus says יְהוָה, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from יְהוָה/.].

יְהוָה will bring to an end all whose trust is in man, whose security is in the things that man has made.

יְהוָה Himself will act - He Himself will do it!

"/I will/ bring disaster on all man!"

The judgement is on "/man/", on "Adam" – the old unregenerate nature epitomized in Babylon which is destroyed at the end.

There are only two men – Adam and Christ – Adam will be destroyed.

Only those whose life is Christ will remain.

Man, for all his pride, plans, organisation, technology, will not remain – they will go like the blind, not knowing where are going; wandering refugees without hope, direction or purpose.

Man will be destroyed!

Their blood poured out like dust (cf.