It is a joy to be with you this morning in worship and it's a joy to open God's word now. I invite you to open your Bibles and turn together to the prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah chapter three is our focus this morning. If you haven't been in the minor prophets for some time, Zephaniah can be a bit harder to find. Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai. As you're turning there, I realize you're just jumping into Zephaniah this morning. Zephaniah ministered to the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Josiah. We don't know if he preached this message before the reforms of Josiah. If that was part of what God used to bring about reform, we don't know if he preached after. We're not exactly sure when, but it was during the reign of Josiah. Sadly, God's people were in a major decline. There was reformation and revival brought about by Josiah, but in some ways, humanly speaking, it was too little, too late. Judah was spiraling downward towards destruction and exile. And in the midst of warnings about that coming judgment, very sober warnings about God's just judgment. Zephaniah also proclaims a word of hope and a word of good news. And we see both aspects of that here in chapter three. So let's give our careful attention now to the word of God. I'll read all of Zephaniah chapter three. Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled. the oppressing city. She listens to no voice. She accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord. She does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men. Her priests profane what is holy. They do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous. He does no injustice. Every morning he shows forth his justice. Each dawn he does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame. I have cut off nations. Their battlements are in ruins. I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them. Their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. I said, surely you will fear me. You will accept correction. Then your dwelling place would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you. But all the more they were eager. to make all of their deeds corrupt. Therefore, wait for me, declares the Lord, for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger. For in the fire of my jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed. For at that time, I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Cush, my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones shall bring my offering. On that day, you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me. For then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord. Those who are left in Israel, they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away the judgments against you. He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall never again fear evil. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem, fear not, O Zion. Let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you by his love. He will exalt over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival so that you will no longer suffer reproach Behold, at that time, I will deal with all your oppressors, and I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time, I will bring you in. At the time when I gather you together, for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord. Amen, let's pray together. Father in heaven, thank you for your word. Thank you that here this morning, in this part of your world, we are calling upon you as peoples who once dwelt in darkness, and use the speech of the world as those who once deserved your judgment, as those who deserve to be consumed in the fire of your anger and jealousy. Now we are those over whom you sing and delight. And Father, we pray that as you give us this word this morning, that you would give us ears to hear it. We pray that you would shepherd us that we would lie down in peace and graze in safety upon your word. I pray, Lord, that you would lead us in your truth. Father, show us the Lord Jesus Christ, the reason we have for hope and joy this morning, our salvation. Lord, do this for us, but ultimately for your name's sake, I pray in Jesus' name, amen. Around this time of year, we often have a number of large meals, grand feasts, and there's lots of delicious, rich food. There's often multiple courses, multiple dishes, the abundance spread. that we get to partake of, and it's really too much to take in. You really just scratch the surface when you have one of these feasts, even with seconds, and yet it is delightful. Well, that is a little bit like Zephaniah 3. There is so much here. There's so much bounty and richness. There's more than we can take in with one meal or one sermon. But I would encourage you to go back and to dig deeper. But part of the depth and the richness of Zephaniah 3 comes from what precedes it. Zephaniah is the prophet of the day of the Lord. And in the first two chapters of Zephaniah, and you see it here in the first eight verses as well, we get unfiltered judgment, fire and anger, woe and warning. But then out of nowhere, in Zephaniah 3, suddenly there's a rush of good news, good words, words of comfort and hope. reason for faith and for joy. God's warnings, which are many, give way to a feast of gospel promises, words of mercy and salvation that are just hinted at earlier in Zephaniah. And what Zephaniah is pointing towards and looking forward to, ultimately what he's proclaiming that breaks through all of the judgment and the darkness is the coming of Jesus Christ, the gospel of Jesus for all nations, for all who call upon him. And so here in Zephaniah 3, we see a picture of God no longer burning in anger, holy, just anger, but actually singing in love. singing over his people, saving and blessing sinners who repent and take refuge in his Son. Brothers and sisters, this is good news. Good news for sinners. Good news for you and for me. Good news for a world awaiting the day of the Lord, the judgment of God. It's a word of hope and salvation. It's reason for joy. The call of Zephaniah 3 to each of you this morning is to believe and to rejoice in this good news, in this King, this Savior who has come. Take refuge in Him and rejoice. People of God, rejoice. Because King Jesus loves you, he is with you, and he has come to save you. Well, let's set our hearts and our minds on that together this morning. And to understand why this word that God will send a king to love and to save and to be in the midst of his people, to understand why this is such good news and such reason for joy, you have to see first the persistent rejection. The persistent rejection and the punishment that it deserves. Look again at verse one and two. Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city. She listens to no voice. She accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord. She does not draw near to her God. This is such a sad, devastating, damning description of Jerusalem, the city of God, the city where God dwelt with his people is rebellious and defiled. It's become a place of oppression that listens to no one and accepts no correction, and the worst is in verse two. She doesn't trust God, her God, her Redeemer, she doesn't trust God, nor does she draw near to him. And so in the opening words here, you hear that dreadful word, woe. Judgment is pronounced on the apostate, unbelieving, and rebellious people. They've rejected God, and so he will need to punish them. He will need to uphold his covenant and carry out justice upon them. The rejection and rebellion is so pervasive it reaches even the top, and perhaps it's driven largely by poor leadership. Verse three and four describe corrupt leaders of God's people, officials, judges, prophets, and priests. They're lions and wolves. rather than shepherds. They're profane, they're treacherous. And this is all despite God's own righteousness and His justice, His mercy, His faithfulness. And yet verse 5 says, they know no shame. They have no shame, no sorrow for their sin or for their rejection of God. It goes on and talks about the punishment of other nations. That has not been an effective warning to God's own people. And so look at verse seven. God says, surely you will fear me. You will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you. But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. And so this sad and sober section ends in verse eight with God saying, just wait. Just wait and see. I've decided I need to gather the nations and gather Jerusalem right with them to pour out my just indignation, to consume all the earth in the fire of my anger and jealousy. Persistent sin, persistent rejection, hardness of heart, unbelief is met with universal judgment and justice. And verses 1 through 8, this is the bad news. This is the hard part. It's really a summary of all of what's come before, Zephaniah 1 and 2. It is a sober and terrifying description of all men in their sins and a warning of what awaits them if they do not repent. It's a description of you and me. It's a description of what awaits you and me apart from God's grace, apart from the gospel, apart from Jesus. This is our situation. This is our plight. This is the plight of nations unless The Lord does a wondrous thing. And brothers and sisters, we need to not move through these verses too quickly. This is a call to each of you to not reject God. Do not be like Jerusalem of old, listening to no one. including even God, not accepting correction, not accepting warning. Turn away from such an attitude, from such rebellion and sin. Seek God's mercy or be consumed by his judgment. And if you have done so, if you've repented of sin and found refuge in Christ, then rejoice. Rejoice in what He's done for you, for what He saved you from and delivered you out of. Well, the backdrop of these verses makes the rest of Zephaniah 3 staggering and wonderful and amazing. Because we see next here a profound reversal. I want us to consider that second this morning, this profound reversal. Isn't it wonderful that Zephaniah does not end at verse 8? With all the earth being consumed in the fire of God's anger. History doesn't end there. The story of God's people does not end there. The story of nations doesn't end at verse 8. There's a verse 9 and more. Suddenly, without any introduction or transition, there's not even a gap in the original. Zephaniah speaks of a dramatic reversal. He speaks of deliverance, of mercy, of salvation, not just for the remnant of Israel, but for all people, for all who call on the name of the Lord. Look again at what God says through Zephaniah in verse 9. For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord. God is going to change the speech of the peoples, non-Israelites. They had had the speech of idolatry, the speech of blasphemy, but they're going to begin to have a pure speech, the speech of prayer and praise, the speech of calling on God in faith rather than rejecting Him. And even Gentiles from distant places, like beyond the rivers of Cush, as verse 10 says, way down south, deep in Africa, they will be worshipers of God. No longer are nations going to oppress God's people. No longer will they be in constant rivalry and warfare with each other. They will serve God with one accord. And of course, Zephaniah is looking forward to and proclaiming a reversal that's brought about only by the coming of Messiah, Jesus. Zephaniah is looking forward to his arrival in time and space. His arrival here on earth in history that brings this reversal. And his second coming that will bring this to completion as well. He's looking forward to the gospel of Jesus going out to the nations. But there's more. Look at verse 11. On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me. For then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. This reversal that Christ brings, that the gospel brings, will be so profound that God will remove shame from the shameful and the shameless. There will no longer be guilt and shame for rebellion against him. The proud will be removed as well. What is being pictured and described here is nothing less than the transformation, the staggering reversal brought by the gospel. The grace of God through Jesus Christ breaking into the world. Only by the gospel of Jesus can you go from condemnation to celebration, from perversion to praise, from nations at war and nations being destroyed and nations caught up in idolatry to nations joining together in worship of the true God, calling upon the Lord. Only the gospel can remove shame, and rebellion. Only the gospel can take away pride from human hearts and society. Only the gospel can bring good and hope and blessing on a day of judgment and anger and wrath. Brothers and sisters, do you know this reversal by faith in God? Do you know it personally? Experientially in your own life, do you know the power of the Gospel? If so, never forget the complete turnaround that God brought by His sheer grace and power. That God brought by sending His own Son and thank Him and praise Him for it. Rejoice in what He has done. Marvel at what He's done. Long for others to experience this reversal, this transformation in their lives as well. Well, we see third in Zephaniah this morning, Zephaniah 3, that the grace and transforming work of God, the profound reversal that he brings, brings with it a call for rejoicing, a call for praise. for pervasive, all-encompassing rejoicing. And you see that in verse 14. But notice first verse 13, verse 12 and 13. Verse 12 first, but I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord. God has just said in verse 11, I'm going to remove the proud. But here he says, I will leave the humble and lowly, those who seek refuge not in men, not in the nations of the world, not in the might or wisdom of man, but those who seek refuge in me with humility. Have you sought refuge in the Lord? Have you humbled yourself before him and run to him? Well then in verse 13 he says the remnant, those who are left, they will not do injustice or speak lies. There will be no deceitful tongues. God is bringing change. He's sanctifying and purifying his people. He's changing their very speech as he said he would do in verse 9. But then it goes on in verse 13 and says, they shall graze and lie down. This is part of the reason why we sang Psalm 23. They shall graze and lie down and none shall make them afraid. What a beautiful picture. There will be peace and safety. The corrupt leaders, the wolves and lions are no longer a threat. The nations are no longer a threat. Their own sins and rebellion against God. are no longer a threat. And they're pictured as grazing and lying down and not being afraid. When wolves were reintroduced in Wyoming about 30 years ago, At the time, ranchers said that the mere presence of wolves near the livestock would affect them. The wolves didn't even have to attack. If they were simply nearby, the sheep and the cows would be afraid. They could sense them. They could smell them. And so they would put their heads down less to graze. They would lay down less to actually sleep. They'd be constantly uneasy and stressed, and so therefore they would be unhealthy and underweight. Well, God is saying here, for His sheep, for His people, that will not be. If you imagine yourself going camping, and there was a wolf just outside the clearing in the timber, you probably would not sleep very well that night. You probably would not have much of an appetite. But God says, don't be afraid. You are safe. You're saved. I am with you. I've dealt with all of your enemies. I've dealt with all of your fears. None shall make them afraid. God has conquered all their enemies. He's conquered all of our enemies if we are taking refuge in him. He removes sources of fear. He gives food and rest, and that is reason to rejoice. And so those who dwell safely with God's flock, secure in his salvation, are called to rejoice here in verse 14. It says, sing aloud, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Rejoice and exult with all your heart. O daughter of Jerusalem, sing aloud, shout, rejoice, exalt. The redeemed remnant, the flock of God is not just void of deceit and injustice and threats. It is to be full, full of rejoicing, full of loud praise. The reversal that God has planned and accomplished for those who repent and call upon him from every nation calls for celebration and rejoicing, and not just outwardly, but with all the heart. And brothers and sisters, if all that is promised and proclaimed here in Zephaniah is true, if it is coming true in Christ, if it is true in your life, If it is true through the great reversal of the gospel, then the church, the remnant of today, should be marked by joy, by praise, by wholehearted rejoicing and celebration. Are there still enemies, trials, sorrows, pains, a long pilgrimage? Yes. in God's providence under his care. But the greatest enemies have been defeated. Sin, death, Satan are shame. God has turned away his wrath and he is full of love for his people. Rejoice, sing aloud. Does rejoicing characterize the church today? Does it characterize this congregation? Is it central to you, to your life? Is it central in my life? You are called to rejoice, and you have so many reasons to do so. Zephaniah goes on to give more reasons for joy, and verse 15 captures it well. God has removed his judgment against us. He's removed our enemies. He has come to dwell in our midst as King. And of course, Zephaniah is speaking of none other than God's own Son, who he sent to this earth, who he sent to dwell in the midst of his people. And I want us to consider him fourth and finally this morning, the promised Redeemer. The promised Redeemer. Look again at verse 15. The Lord has taken away the judgments against you. He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall never again fear evil. How is it that such a dramatic reversal can take place? Who can bring the joy of verse 14, especially after the first eight verses? In verse 8, the only answer is Jesus, the Lord, the King in your midst, the King of Israel, the Lord in the midst of his people. Jesus is the promised King, the promised Redeemer of Zephaniah 3, verse 15. At the fullness of time, he was incarnate in the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, born under the law, to tabernacle with his people, to dwell with his people as Emmanuel, God with us, the Lord with us. It is only through Jesus, the King in our midst, that God has taken away the judgments against sinners. It is only through Jesus that God removes judgments against those who have rebelled against Him. You and me, if our faith is in Him, all who trust in Him and call upon Him. And He's taken away that judgment by taking it Himself on the cross. And that is how He's cleared away our enemies. And so it's because of this promised Redeemer, this King who is in the midst of His people, with his people that we can no longer fear evil, that the day of the Lord and God's anger is no longer something we are afraid of, because that judgment has been poured out on Christ in our place. Verse 17 goes on to say, the Lord God is in the midst of his people, a mighty one who will save. Jesus is the mighty one who came to the midst of his people to save them by his life and death and resurrection. He's the promised and present redeemer who came to his people, a mighty king, a mighty one. And this is in contrast to the poor leaders, the Old Testament kings and leaders who were corrupt and failed, who were weak and temporary, And even the godly ones, the greatest among them, like Josiah or David, they were limited. They were temporary. They could do so little. He was almighty. He is almighty. He is eternal. He is righteous. And he saves. And look at what verse 17 goes on to say. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you by His love. He will exalt over you with loud singing. Jesus rejoices over His redeemed with gladness. He quiets them by His love, or perhaps more literally, He's quiet over them in love. A contemplative love for sinners like a mother quietly gazing full of love at her sleeping child. He exalts over them with loud singing. And notice how his joy over us in verse 17 mimics and mirrors the joy that we are to have in him in verse 14. We're to sing and rejoice and exalt. God sings and rejoices and exalts over us. Verse 17 is really stunning. We could spend the rest of the morning just marveling in this. The holy God rejoicing over unholy sinners. In chapter one, we didn't read it, but in chapter one, he was stretching out his hand over them for judgment. And now he's singing over them with gladness. The infinite, almighty creator singing over finite, weak creatures. The unlovely, loved. Shameless rebels now the source of song and joy and gladness to God. Sinners are beloved saints. I think this is partly why this verse has been called the John 3.16 of the Old Testament. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Here, God the Son, the King, given by God in love for sinners. is hovering over his precious people, who he died for, singing over them, celebrating them, singing over them a love song, a song of joy. Jesus came to live in our midst. He came to this filthy, sinful, foolish world. He humbled himself. He, the King, became a servant He came to a world deserving destruction, deserving just the wrath of the day of the Lord, so that he might take that, so that he might take the fire of God's anger in order to save sinners, in order that he might rejoice over them and sing over them with love. What good news. What reason for faith. for joy, for peace, for rest, for comfort. What a Savior. And the he wills of verse 17 switch in the last three verses to a series of I wills, six I wills. These are personal gospel promises that Jesus gives to those who believe in him, that Jesus carries out himself for sinners who trust in him. He doesn't say you will. He doesn't say someone will or I hope it will. He says I will. Look at what he says in verse 18 and following. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time, I will deal with all of your oppressors, and I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time, I will bring you in. At the time when I gather you together, For I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes. I will, I will, I will. Jesus will gather those who mourn. Jesus will deal with all oppressors. He will save the lame and gather the outcast. He will change shame into praise. He will bring in and restore. Now God did much of this in the short term and on a small scale in the return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the preserving of a remnant in the Old Covenant and saving many Old Testament saints. But he has done far, far more, and his plan was always to do far more, that the ends of the earth, that nations might be blessed. He is still doing so on a worldwide ultimate scale in the gospel of Jesus. He's gathering his elect to salvation, gathering people into the church Bringing countless sinners from all nations to life through the free offer of his gospel. Continuing to be in our midst by the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. What a glorious redeemer. What a glorious redemption. A redeemer who's king. A redeemer who's not far off but is with us. in our midst, a Redeemer who's come to those He loves in order to save them, to love them, to sing over them. And as you hear about Him this morning, do you know Him? Are you trusting Him? Is He your King and your Savior? Is your faith in Him? Is He your hope and your joy? Has He dealt with your oppressors, your guilt, your shame, your sins, your sorrow, the judgments against you? Has He healed that which was lame, and is He healing that which was lame in you? Has He gathered you to Himself, to His safe pastures, removing your fears? Has He given you rest with His precious people? If so, rejoice and continue believing in Him and delighting in Him and worshiping Him. And I want you to try to picture or even hear Him rejoicing over you, singing over you. He rejoices over all of His people collectively. but he's full of love for you if your faith is in him. Brothers and sisters, young people, children, if your faith is in Jesus, then it is over you, you personally, you individually. Use your own name in your mind this morning. It's over me that he rejoices. Despite all of my sin, my struggle, my rebellion, despite all of the righteous judgments against me, he has removed all of that and he sings over me. He's glad over you. There's joy in heaven over one sinner who's saved. And Jesus has the most joy. Joy over you and your salvation. You were on His heart when He came and lived and died for you, out of love for you, to be with you, to save you. Take refuge in Him. Rejoice in this promised Redeemer who is with us and who saves. One writer once said, one of the most awesome descriptions of the wrath of God in judgment found anywhere in scripture appears in the opening verses of Zephaniah. Then he goes on and says one of the most moving descriptions of the love of God for his people found anywhere in scripture appears in the closing verses. And friends, we need both. We need to know and to believe verse eight, this sober, terrifying warning that God will consume all the earth in the fire of his holy anger against sin, against unrepentant, but that must drive us to Jesus, to take refuge in the King who was sent to his people. The only way of salvation, the only hope for mankind, Jesus who saves, Jesus who sings over sinners. And Zephaniah is really just a microcosm of the whole Bible, the whole history of redemption, which proclaims judgment on all, judgment on sinners, on all who fall short of the glory of God, but then above and beyond that, thanks be to God. It proclaims full and free redemption for all who call upon the name of the Lord, for all who repent and believe in Jesus. And if it sounds too good to be true, if it sounds like a story that can't possibly be real, if you hear that and think, well, how can I know? How can I be sure? Listen to the last three words of Zephaniah. Says the Lord. Says the Lord. I will save. I love you. I rejoice over you. I'm in your midst. Says who? Says the Lord. Hear him. Hear him and believe him. And if you trust in him, rejoice. Because King Jesus loves you. King Jesus is with you and he has come to save you. And I want to leave you again with the words of verse 17 this morning. The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you by his love. He will exalt over you with loud singing. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we cannot begin to comprehend what is the depth and the breadth and the height of the love of Christ which surpasses understanding. And yet give us a glimpse this morning. Give us a glimpse of our Savior singing over us, full of love. We who deserve wrath and judgment and justice. We who are full of shame and rebellion in our sins. Help us to seek refuge in the Lord, the King who came to us in love to live and die and rise again so that he might save us, so that he might remove the judgments against us, remove our enemies, even death and sin and Satan. so that he might celebrate us and rejoice over us. Lord, fill us with faith in him and delight in him. Let us rejoice and sing aloud. Let many from all nations of the world call upon the name of the Lord and worship him with one voice. We pray this all in his name, amen.