Thesis:                      To make the lost aware of God's judgement.
Sermon:                    The book of Zephaniah 1: 1 - 3: 20/"Hidden of Jehovah"
Object:                      To motivate the audience to repent because
                                  the Great Day God is coming!
Song of Invitation:   # 692;  Softly and Tenderly.

I.   Noble birth; great great grandfather was King Hezekiah!

II.   Helped prepare Judah for the revival which took place under
       good King Josiah in 621 B.C.   [2 Chr 34: 3]

III.   This period was preceeded by 50 years of evil leadership
       under Kings Manasseh and Amon.

IV.   Zephaniah called his people to repentance.  Reform came, but after Josiah,
         the leaders, and many of people reverted to their old ways;  a remnant
         was kept!

I.   Judgment on Judah
       A       Israel was constantly rebelling against God.   [1: 2-18]
              1.   They were drifting into idol worship.
              2.   They wanted to do their own will, rather than God's!

       B.   You can not serve two masters.
              1.   Mixed allegiances do not work.  [Mt 6: 24]
              2.   Nobody wants a half-hearted believer or servant.
              3.   God wants us to be hot and NOT cold or luke-warm.
                       [Rev 3: 15-7]
II.   Judgment on Gentile Nations!       [2: 4-15]
       A.   Philistines/West were so proud, yet there is no trace of them today.
              1.   God put them in their place.   [2: 4-7]
              2.   The first shall be last & the last firsth!        [Mt 19: 30]

       B.   Moab and Ammonites to the East.   [2: 8-11]

       C.   Ethiopians to the South.   [2: 12]

       D.   Assyrian to the North were a terror of the world.   [2: 13-5]
              1.   In 20 yrs the Babylonians leveled these societies![Haley's; p374]
              2.   Dying in sins takes a second and we are lost forever!

      E.   "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."
              [Pr 16: 18]
      F.   Falling into the hands of God is a NO game!        [Heb 10: 31]
 

III.   The prophesies of blessings.   [3: 9-20]

       A.   Future blessings for Gentiles.   [3: 9-10]

       B.   Future blessings for Jews.   [3: 11-20]

       C.   All will be blessed if faithful.   [Rev 2:10; Rom 6: 22-23; 1 Cor 9: 24-27;
              2 Cor 5: 6-10; Phil 3: 12-16; 2 Tim 4: 6-8; Tit 2: 11-15; Rev 14: 13]

IV.   We need to be calm before and after the storms of life.

      A.   Jesus calms the storms of our life if we allow Him to rule.  [Mt 8: 23-27]
              1.   Job lost everything.   [Job 1: 13-22]
              2.   He still reamined faithful.

      B.   Lazarus in Abraham's bosom after his physical life.       [Lk 16: 19-31]

      C.   Thomas Paine, "Adeist", says that "God's too big to worry about this
              planet and its activities.
              1.   God is worried about each one of us.    [Mt 10: 27-31]
              2.   Jesus Christ gave His life specifically for each one of us!
              3.   God's proactive in the affairs of man.    [Heb 11: 6; Jam 1: 6-8]

      D.   Wealth will not save us, but God's will will!          [1: 18; 1 Pet 1: 18-19]
              1.   Simon the Sorcerer wanted to "buy" the gifts of the early church.
                     [Acts 8: 18-20]
                     i.   The gifts were given to confirm ONLY!       [Mk 16: 20]
                     ii.   It showed God's providential care and concern for man.

      E.   God never fails, but our evil neighbors will.                 [3: 5]
 

I.     The great day of God is mentioned over and over again for a purpose.
         [1: 7-10, 14-6, 18; 2: 2-3; 3: 8]

II.    Zephaniah exhortation everybody to repent before it is too late.          [2: 1-3]

III.   The grain/faithful Christians will be kept, but the chaff/heathens will be
          burned.  [Mt 3: 12]

IV.   We can be calm in our own personal storms, because we know WHO is in
          control!
 
 

Copyright 1999 by Neil C. Prokop may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.