'The Book of Zephaniah'is only 3 chapters long, and has 53 verses.  If I were to be asked how many of you have read the book, I would not be sure who would raise their hands.

The reason is everyone loves to read the promises of God; the good news, and psalms, but very few people like to read about God dealing with sin in their lives.  Zephaniah is a book of forceful prophecy. The book deals with a "revival" that produces outward change, but does not fully remove the inward heart of corruption.  Zephaniah, hammers home his message repeatedly, that the day of the Lord, judgment day is coming, when the malignancy of sin will be dealt with. Israel and her neighbors will soon experience the crushing hand of God's wrath. The Book of Zephaniah emphasizes the certainty of God's judgment, because God hates sin.

The people of Judah lived wickedly for fifty years under King Manasseh and King Amon. Zephaniah urged, his people to repent of their wicked lifestyle. The nation was filled with idolatry, selfishness, and immorality and God was preparing to judge them. They were lazy and they had no concern about the things of God.  They disobeyed God, resisted correction, and relied on themselves. 

Zephaniah 3: 3-5 3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.

4 Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have done violence to the law.

5 The LORD is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame. But, in the mist of it all, God's promise to preserved a remnant, a small group of people who will continue to serve God faithfully. But it also tells that after the chastening process is complete, blessings will come in the person of the Messiah, who will be cause for praise and singing.

Zephaniah 2:7 7 The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; They shall feed their flocks there; In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will intervene for them, And return their captives. We need to remember that God is a loving God, but He will not let you continual in a life of sin. Complacency (an I don't care attitude) is a deadly disease. If you do not care about God or believe that you can continue in sin without, consequences, you are headed for judgment. Many today do not seek God's blessings or fear His wrath; such thinking is dangerous.

Zephaniah 1:12 12 “ And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, [g] Who say in their heart, ‘ The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’ The sins that were found in Judah are the same ones that you must avoid, disobeying God, resisting correction, failing to trust in God, and not having any desire to learn about God.

Zephaniah 3:2 2 She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the LORD, She has not drawn near to her God. Even though God must judge sin, He is faithful to each individual who turns to Him in faith.God is mighty and able to save, protect, and bless.

Zephaniah 3:17 17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

God is a loving God. He does not want to see us suffer, but if we continue to do wrong and sin, He is our Heavenly Father whom loves us enough to chastise us.

John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

I know that just as my Daddy and Mama corrected me, when I did wrong.  And Joe and I also corrected our girls, it helped all of us to know right from wrong.  We knew to not do that anymore. In others words we learned our lessons, and sometimes it was the hard way.

Today, this Sunday morning, spend time with God, and ask Him to show you what changes you may need to make in your life.  Some of them you already know, so do not wait until God has to let you fall to your knees, so He can lift you up.

Joyfully, In The Master's Service
 Blessings, Prayers and Love,
 Pastor Pat1

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