Sermon – Zephaniah 3:14-20 – Punishment Removed

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon – Zephaniah 3:14-20 – Punishment Removed

Advent 4

December 23, 2012

This Advent we have been approaching the birth of Christ by building our expectations of what the coming savior will do. Two weeks ago Jeremiah told us that in sprite of the difficulties we are experiencing this Christmas we can be filled with hope because a savior is on the way. Last week Malachi told us that this savior will come with a refining fire that will purge our sins away. Today we will hear from the prophet Zephaniah who assures us that this savior will not only purge our sin, he will also forgive what we have done. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The Book of Zephaniah begins in this way.

Zephaniah 1:1 ^NIV Zephaniah 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

I have been wondering all week why we are told about Zephaniah's father, grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather. 

This is most unusual with the prophets. And whenever I see something unusual in the Bible I begin to think that we might be reading something significant. I can't think of any reason why we would be told that Zephaniah's great great grandfather with Hezekiah unless this referred to the great Hezekiah, the King of Judah. If so Zephaniah is related to royalty. We also learn that Zephaniah was the son of Cushi. This means that his father was from Ethiopia. So it appears that Zephaniah comes from a prominent multiracial family. This is most unusual, but given his background it should not be surprising to hear that Zephaniah's primary concern is with the nation of Judah and the surrounding nations. And so we find in the Book Zephaniah a warning to the nations of the world about the day of the Lord.

We have been talking about the coming day of the Lord this Advent. This is a day a judgment when people will be punished for their sins. Zephaniah says that nations are also accountable for their actions. Judah and all the nations on earth will one day come before the Lord for judgment. We already know that when this day come we will have a savior who will purge our sin away, but what about the nations? What will happen to them? Listen to Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 1:2-3 ² "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. ³ "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.

The day of the Lord will not be pretty. So why will the nations of the earth suffer so much? What have they done to bring this calamity upon them? Well, according to the prophet the problem is idolatry. The nations of the world do not want to worship the creator God. They much prefer lesser gods they can control. So they tell their people not worship the God who is King of the Universe and worship instead the minor gods of the weather or fertility or something else. That way the kings of the earth see themselves as all powerful and not subject of the true God in heaven.

We can see this today. If we proclaim that we worship the God who has all authority in heaven and on earth the governments who think they have this authority will try to stop us. Even here in America the government hides behind a slogan, “separation of the church and state” to create a secular nation free from the inconvenient demands of a creator God. Right now our government is pushing to limit charitable deductions as a way of balancing the budget. Limiting the tax deduction we receive for giving to the church and other nonprofits could have disastrous effects on Christian ministries all over the country. The proclamation of Zephaniah is needed as much today as it was in the seventh century before Christ. The nations of the world must act in accordance with God's will or be judged on the day of the Lord. So what are we to do to prevent this from happening. Zephaniah has a message for us.

Zephaniah 2:3 ³ Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.

But the probability that the nations of the world will humble themselves and follow God's commands is pretty low. And the predicted doom is almost assured. Zephaniah tells us what will happen.

Zephaniah 3:8 ⁸ Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them-- all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

So is there no hope for the nations of the Earth? Or will the savior come with a refining fire to purge the idolatry from the nations and humble them in obedience to God? I think by now we know what God will do. Let's hear from Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 3:9-13 ⁹ "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. ¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. ¹¹ On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. ¹² But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. ¹³ The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."

And so a savior will come for all nations of the earth with a refiner's fire to purge away the arrogant and leave behind the humble who will obey God. This is our hope for a glorious future in what we call the Kingdom of God. When this happens we will rejoice. Here is how the prophet describes it.

Zephaniah 3:14-20 ¹⁴ Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! ¹⁵ The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. ¹⁶ On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. ¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." ¹⁸ "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. ¹⁹ At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. ²⁰ At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.

Scripture promises a glorious future because a savior is coming who will purge our sin and forgive us for what we have done. We rejoice because under God's protection. We know that God loves us, rejoices over us. God even sings our praises. And every nation on earth will one day bow down before God singing his praises.

And this is why we are so joyful at Christmas. We know that a savior is coming who will forgive us and purge our sin away. We will again reflect the image of God. And all nations on Earth will join their voices with the choir of angels singing praises to God our king. This is the glorious future that awaits us all made by our creator God who loves us.

Holy Father in Heaven, we sing blessings and praises on your name. We experience your forgiveness and love. In you we delight. We ask for your spirit upon the children of Pitts Creek church as they sing your praise this evening. And we ask that you be with us a Beaver Dam as we rejoice in song in response to you love revealed in scripture. We thank you and praise you O Lord. Amen.