The book of Zephaniah. And that's tucked in between Habakkuk and Haggai. If that helps you find it. It is just four books from the end of the Old Testament. So we have Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Three chapters, 53 verses. And I'll be reading a number of verses from this book throughout the message. So just keep it open and we'll be looking at it together. I've given a theme of this message is the God's amazing grace for undeserving sinners. And this grace comes from the Lord. Now the name Lord, all capital letters is used 32 times in the 53 verses, but that does not really indicate how many times the Lord refers to himself because he refers to himself as I. And he is the speaker almost through the entire book of Zephaniah. Old Testament scholars all agree now, I think they do anyway, that this capital letter L.O.R.D. is pronounced correctly Yahweh. So the name Yahweh is prominent in the book. Who is Yahweh? Well, as we show, if you read this book and by the way, you can read this book. The first time I read it was it took me nine minutes and I had a goal of reading it every day until I preached. Didn't quite make it, but I read it many, many times. You can read it in nine minutes. It may take you 10, 11, 12. But it's a it's a really short book. Well, Yahweh is the God who judges the world for sin. We shall see that very, very clearly in the book. Yahweh or the Lord is the one who redeems a remnant from their sin, as we shall see very clearly in the book. And we must understand that Yahweh many times in the book refers to the Messiah. In fact, two times in the in the book of Zephaniah, we read about the day of the Lord. And you'll recall that in the New Testament. We read about the day of the Lord, for example, in in 2nd Peter, we read that it's a day that where there's going to be the elements are going to melt with heat when the Lord Jesus Christ comes. So we must see Christ. We must see Messiah in this book. But to understand this book, I believe we need to know a little bit about Zephaniah. If you look at chapter one, verse one, we learn all we know about Zephaniah, which is really quite a bit. It says the word, the Lord Yahweh, which came to Zephaniah, the son of Kushai, the son of Gadoliah, the son of Amira, the son of Hezekiah in the days of Josiah, the son of Ammon, king of Judah. So the great great-grandfather, or is it great-great-great? You can figure that out, of Zephaniah was Hezekiah. And you all know who Hezekiah was, don't you? He was one of the great and good kings of Israel. In fact, Hezekiah had a Passover like no other king in Israel had had. We read about it in Second Chronicles, chapter 30, verse 26. So there was great joy in Jerusalem for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like it in Jerusalem. However, Zephaniah was not born during Hezekiah's reign, but rather during the reign of Manasseh, who was the son that was appointed to be king after Hezekiah. And Manasseh was the most wicked king in all of Judah's history. He reigned 55 years. He brought in all kinds of idolatry. Child sacrifice, worship of Baal, you name it, he did it. Anything that was opposed to the one true and living God. So his son, Amon, reigned after him for two years. But interestingly enough, we read in 2 Chronicles that actually Manasseh repented at the end of his reign, but it evidently had no effect whatsoever on his son Amon. Well, this brings us to Zephaniah's time. He prophesied during the days, we read in verse one, the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah. He reigned for 31 years. His reign began in 640 BC when he was eight years old. At the age of 16, Josiah began to seek the Lord. And then at the age of 20, he began a radical reformation in Judah. We read about it in Second Chronicles, chapter 34, verse three, it says, for in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father, David. And in the twelfth year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images and the molded images. And then, at the age of 26, he encouraged a Passover that was better than the one of Hezekiah. It's recorded for us in 2 Chronicles, chapter 35, verses 18 and 19. There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Jerusalem, who were present and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. God did a radical, amazing work in the heart of this young fellow Josiah. And I wonder, was it the preaching of Zephaniah that led Josiah's that led to Josiah's conversion when he was 16? Or perhaps the preaching of Habakkuk and Jeremiah or Nahum because they were all contemporaries of this man, Josiah. I don't know. That's pure speculation, but I'd like to think it was the preaching of the word of these prophets that brought him to his knees at the age of 16 to worship the true and the living God. Josiah was greatly, greatly loved, as is evidenced by the lament of Jeremiah of when Josiah was killed in the Battle of Pharaoh, Necho, in Egypt. We read about it in Second Chronicles, Chapter 35. Verses 24B and 25 and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day, the writer says, the day when he wrote second Chronicles, which have been many years later. And to this day, all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah and their lamentations. They make it a custom in Israel And indeed, they are written in the laments. This is a great, great sorrow to Jeremiah and I'm sure to all the godly in Jerusalem, because, as you know, after the death of Josiah, things went downhill quickly. I don't have time to go into all that, but it was the end. It was the end of any good kings and any good things for Judah. Well, I want to tell you why I decided to preach from Zephaniah. I chose to preach from this because I still remember old Palmer Robertson, who some of you have heard of, I'm sure he's still alive, by the way, is 87 years old. But I heard him preach from Zephaniah in 1983 at a banner of truth conference at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Oh, what a comforting that was to my soul. And it just it just was a wonderful bomb to my soul in 1983. And I determined someday I'm going to preach from Zephaniah. Well, today's the day after all those years. I also preach from Zephaniah because I believe that this book can be a great comfort To those who know Jesus Christ and on the other hand, a warning to those who are outside of Christ that they need to repent and come to Jesus immediately. But it can be a great comfort to all you who are walking with Christ, especially to those with three classes of those who are who are in Jesus Christ today. It can be a comfort for any of you who are experiencing pains, difficulties, trials and tribulations in your life. This book can be a great comfort to you. And secondly, it can be a great comfort to a second class of people, and that is those who are struggling with temptations and sin. And you wonder whether you'll ever get the victory over sin. This book could be a great comfort to you as well. And there's a third class of people to which this book can be a great comfort. And that is those who may be struggling with the assurance of their salvation. If you read and understand Zephaniah and still have doubts, well, you haven't understood the book. It can bring great assurance, as I hope to show. Well, as I said, the title of the theme of this sermon is God's amazing grace to undeserving sinners. I have four thoughts, three this morning and God willing, one this afternoon. The first thought that we want us to consider is this, and that is the desperate need for God's amazing grace to undeserving sinners, the desperate need and a. Zephaniah is classified as the minor prophet. I read someone who said he's a minor prophet, a major prophet ministry, a message. And I, I think that's right. But there's a desperate need that that that Zephaniah gives. And basically, he shows the desperate need for chapter one, verse one through chapter three, verse eight. We don't have time to cover all those verses, but I want to highlight just some of the important verses that show us how it is, how sinful man is and how much he needs the grace of God. Why does he need the grace of God? Two reasons. First of all, because judgment is coming. Zephaniah makes that very, very plain. Look at verses two and three of our book and Yahweh is speaking. He says, I will utterly consume everything from the face of the land, says the Lord. I will consume man and beast. I will consume the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea and the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land, says the Lord. Now that's the Lord speaking. He says there's going to be a judgment over the whole land. Oh, that sounds serious, does it not? And then that's not it. But this judgment not only includes Judah, that is, the people whom God had chosen to be His covenant people. Look at verse four of our text. I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place. Remember, Manasseh had brought in the worship of Baal, this false god. I'll cut the Lord says I'm gonna cut that off. The names of the idolatrous priests and the pagan priests. So there were priests in Judah who were encouraging the worship of Baal. God says I'm gonna cut him off and I'm gonna cut off the pagan priests as well. Great judgment coming and And it just didn't include the people, but include it included the princes and the king's son. Look at verse eight. In the same day, I will punish all those are excuse me, verse eight, and it shall be in the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I will punish the princes and the king's children and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel. So included. And those who were at the very top of power and society in Judah. No one could escape. No one at all could escape. And the judgment is very severe. Look at verse 15. That day is a day of wrath. A day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Such is the message that the Lord gives through Zephaniah and verse 18. Notice it includes the whole earth. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. But the whole land, and by the word, the word land there is the same word that's used in Genesis one one in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That's the word. That's the Hebrew word. So we should read that. But the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy, for he will make speedy, speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. And then in chapter two, the Lord says, not only am I going to judge the wickedness in Judah, but the nations all around Judah will be judged. That includes Gaza. Ever heard of Gaza? That's where the Philistines live. They're going to be judged. Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, Assyria, whose capital was Nineveh. And you recall that great city, Nineveh. Nahum was the one who prophesied against it. Jonah was the one who went there and they repented a few years later and they went back into their idolatrous sin. I'm told that Nineveh had walls that were wide enough for three chariots to ride abreast around the whole city. It was going to be a rubble and it did become rubble. So it includes the nation. So that's the first reason that that we need God's grace is because judgment is coming. But there's a second reason, and that is because the judgment is deserved. And Zephaniah makes that abundantly clear in this section of the scripture. What is? Why is it so deserved? Well, in verse five, which we've already read, they were worshiping the host of heaven who created the sun, moon and the stars. Well, you children all know you're too shy to say it, but I'll say it for you. God did. What did these people do? They worship the sun and the moon and the stars rather than worshiping the God who made them. In other words, they were infatuated with Mother Nature. Well, that's why judgment had to come, they didn't give glory to God. And also because of common thievery, look at verse nine. We read this interesting phrase in that day. I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters houses with violence and deceit. Very picturesque language, isn't it? So you get the picture of these men who are breaking into houses, taking what they can find. and then giving it to their masters or keeping it for themselves. They were thieves, and so they deserve the judgment of God. And also, they deserve the judgment of God because they trusted in their wealth. Look at verse 13 of chapter one. Therefore, their goods shall become booty and their houses a desolation. They shall build houses, but not inhabit them. Now, there's nothing wrong with building houses. The problem was that they trusted in their wealth to deliver them. That's what they thought. And then also because of greedy judges and priests, we skip over to chapter three, verse three to see that three and four. We read this. Her princes and her midst are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. that leave not a bone till morning. In other words, they took advantage of the people as judges and they took everything from them to satisfy their own wealth. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law. So you see, the priests used their positions, violating the law, to make themselves wealthy and more powerful. That's why. Judgment had to come. Now, what does all this have to do with us? Well, let me suggest some things here. First of all, we need to know that there is still a judgment that is coming. I think I started to quote this perhaps incorrectly a few moments ago. Second Peter 3 10. Jesus Christ will come like a thief in the night. And when he comes, it says the heavens will dissolve and the elements will melt with heat at the coming of Jesus Christ. My friends, he's coming. We don't know when. But we know when he comes, it will be utter, utter destruction of everything on the earth. It's coming. So we must understand that. This is not if or maybe it's certain we just don't know when. And if we don't believe that we are in deep trouble. If nothing else, you'll face the judge at the when you die. Well, there's other applications we can make. What if, God forbid, there are some here who worship Mother Nature? Why don't worship Mother Nature? Well, it seems to me that our weathermen do. They always talk about Mother Nature. Who in the world is Mother Nature? It is the false God of the sun, the moon and the stars and the movement of the winds around the world. I tell you, dear friends, God does all that. And if a man worships Mother Nature, he will be subject to the judgment of Almighty God. And then there are those who think that their wealth and their comfortable living will deliver them from severe difficulty. As the people in Zephaniah's day did. Verse 11 of chapter one. Well, you inhabit is a Mac fish. That was a merchant area and a place where goods were exchanged, bought and sold in Jerusalem. Well, you inhabit is a Mac dish for all the merchant people are cut down and all those who handle money are cut off. There's nothing wrong with money. There's nothing wrong with making money. But it is when one trusts in his riches that judgment comes. And then there are those who think that God doesn't really observe or care what's going on in the world. But you see, that's what some thought in Zephaniah's day, verse 12 of chapter one. It shall come to pass at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, The Lord will not do good. He will not do evil. The Lord is just absent from the world. He's not going to do anything good, not going to do anything evil. I can do very well what I want. That is a reason for the judgment of God. And then finally, in the verses we haven't read from, but in Chapter 2, verses 4 through 15, we have all these pagan nations that will be judged along with Judah. And they are nations which rejected, of course, the truth of the living God, his law and everything else. And it applies to us in this way. There are those who think that Christians are quite narrow. And annoying. And irritating because Christians, they know, don't believe that one should commit fornication, that a couple should live together before they get married. that they're opposed to abortion and that they're concerned about that. They don't think that one should choose their own pronouns, which, of course, is all true of us, isn't it? But those who think such are like the pagan nations in chapter two versus four through 15, which we do not have time to exegete, but you'll see it. And it is those who also deserve judgment. Well, We must move on. This has been pretty somber, hadn't it? Ah, but there's good news coming. Just hang in there. I want us to consider, secondly, the undeserving subjects. Who is it that gets the undeserving grace of God? Well, Zephaniah tells us who they are. And some may be thinking here, I am not as bad as Zephaniah talks about here. I'm just not that bad. Well, my dear friend, you are. And in our scripture reading this morning, we were told that we are. We've broken God's law. Which law have you not broken? Oh, my dear friend and thought, word or deed, we're guilty of breaking every single one of the Ten Commandments and thought, word or deed. Why is it that some escape judgment? Well, two reasons. First of all, because the Lord gives pure lips. to his people, sovereignly gives pure lips. Now we turn over to chapter three and we'll stay in chapter three now for the rest of the message. Chapter three, verses nine through eleven. And the Yahweh is speaking, the Lord speaking, he says, for then I will restore to the peoples a pure language or literally I'm going to give them pure lips. that they may call on the name of the Lord to serve him with one accord. And notice, it's not just Judah that's going to get this, but it's also from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, which means way down in southern Africa. My worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed one shall bring my offerings in that day. You shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against me. For then I will take I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride. Now, what's he saying here? I want you to notice. This is a sovereign act of God's grace. Notice what the text says. The Lord says, I will restore to the peoples of your lips. These people didn't say, oh, man, this judgment's awful. I think I needed to do something about it. I think I try to turn over a new leaf. I think I better go. I went too fast there. Some may think I better try to do better. No, no, no, no, no. A thousand times. No, the Lord says I do this. I do it. The Lord is sovereign. Grace is the one who gives pure lips. It is the sovereign grace of God that changes the way people think. I will do it, the Lord says. And He repeats it again down in verse 11. I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your presence. It is the Lord who does it. Oh, that gives us hope. The sovereign grace of God is the author of pure lips. A changed life. Indeed, He is. Well, a dramatic change. I'm so thankful that God gives pure lips. As I was preparing this message, I thought about my senior year of high school, second semester. I was president of the youth group and I gave devotionals. And I. Was wicked in my heart and mine. Well, I thought I put on a good front when I worked with the hogs, which irritated me. When I worked with the hogs, I thought no person would know. And I lifted my voice in cursing and swearing against the God of heaven. I did. But the Lord was gracious, broke my wicked heart. And took away my wicked lips. How did this happen? He graciously convicted me of my sin in an instant and took it away. And my dear friends, we are dependent upon the sovereign grace of God for any change that ever takes place in our lives. The sovereign grace of God was all of the Lord. There's a second. There's a second gift that he gives to his people. We find that in verses 12 and 13. I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. For they shall feed their flocks and lie down and no one shall make them afraid. What is the Holy Spirit telling us here? Well, the Holy Spirit is telling us that he does such a thorough, deep work that he makes we who are so proud, humble. He humbles us. That's what it says. And notice again, it is the Lord who does this. He says, I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. Do you know why? If you're trusting the Lord, do you know why you trust in him today? It is because the Lord gave you the gift of trust and faith. That's the only reason. You didn't decide, well, I am going to be one who follows Christ. No. And the Lord does it in sovereign grace. In sovereign grace. Oh, we are such a proud people by nature. But the Lord changes us and makes us a humble people. This is a gift. And notice, he says he does this for the remnant. Now, we'll come back to that word this afternoon, because it's a very, very important word in the book of Zevaniah. But I just want you to notice right now, he says the remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness. This is not a promise to the entire nation. Oh, no. This is a promise to the remnant. That is, these ones who have experienced a special grace of God in their lives. Now, the whole nation. Saw in a sense the external grace of God. We read about it in the law this morning. It says I am the God who brought you out of Egypt, so keep my commandments. But what they didn't have and as we read on in the Old Testament, they didn't have a heart. Ah, but there's a remnant that has a heart. To seek the Lord, praise God for that. Now, so there's those who are. In the big bubble of the professing church. And then there are those who are the remnant who are trusting the Lord, who have pure lips, who have a new heart and who do no unrighteousness. That does not mean that they never sin. No, it just means that they hate the sin. They confess the sin when they do sin. Which are you in? I'm going to give you a test, a simple test, and the test is found in Chapter 2, verses one through three. Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, oh undesirable nation, before the decree is issued on the day or the day passes like shaft, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. And here's the test. This is the test, and this is what the remnant heard, received and believed. Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth. who have upheld his justice, seek righteousness and seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. My dear friend, if you are here this morning and say, I seek the Lord. I really I'm seeking the Lord. You're in a good class of people and the rest of the message is for you. If you in any way can say, I am one who is seeking the Lord, because that leads me on To my third thought, we've seen the desperate need for God's amazing grace. We've seen the the undeserving subjects, that is, the people who receive God's amazing grace is because the sovereign act of God. And I want us to see the stunning display of God's amazing grace. It's a stunning display. Look at verses 14 through 17 of chapter three, where we read these words. Sing, O daughter of Zion. Shout, O Israel. Be glad and rejoice with all your heart. O daughter of Jerusalem, the Lord has taken away your judgments. He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, do not fear. Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God is in your midst. The mighty one will say he will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. I see this is a stunning display of God's marvelous, amazing grace. Um, notice the Lord says, sing, shout for joy. Here is Zephaniah has talked about all of God's judgments that are going to come. The whole earth is going to be destroyed. Judah is going to be destroyed. And it was in 586 B.C. The third Babylonian captivity. He says, sing and shout for joy. Sing and shout for joy. Why? This is for the remnant. This is for those who are seeking the Lord. This is for them. And there are Three reasons why it is that the remnant may sing and shout for joy. The first reason is because of God's presence, that is, his gifts. What has been the most wonderful and great Christmas present that you've ever received in all your life? I hope no one says, I never got a present. Probably almost everyone here got a gift or a present at Christmas. I know what mine was. I'm not going to tell you what it was. I asked Raina what hers was. She said 1964 when I gave her the diamond ring in December. Yes, it was a wonderful present for her and for me to give. It really was. Well, God gives presence, too, and there are two presents that he gives here in verses in these verses. Let's look at them one at a time. First, we find in verse 16, or I should say in verse 15, the Lord has taken away your judgments. That's the first present. He's taken away your judgment. So we've just heard about all the judgment that's coming upon the earth. And the Lord comes to the remnant, to those who are trusting him. He says no judgment for you. None. He's taken it away, entirely taken it away. All these severe judgments which we deserve are gone. They're just simply gone. He's removed them. He's removed our sins from us as far as the East is from the West. He's buried them in the depths of the deepest sea. Romans 8 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Here, I'm a man. And I agreed with our brother who read the Scripture, who's broken every single one of the Ten Commandments in thought, word or deed, every one of them. The judgments have been taken away. For those who are resting and seeking the Lord. What a wonderful, wonderful glory. What glory. I love Jeremiah chapter 50 verse 20. And a few times I put my name in there. And I'm going to take the liberty of doing that. Jeremiah 50 verse 20. We read this in those days and at that time, says the Lord. The iniquity of Israel, I say the iniquity of Gordon, shall be sought, but there shall be none. And the sins of Judah, I say the sins of Gordon, but they shall not be found. For I will pardon those whom I preserve. Nobody's going to be able to find my sin. None. It's not there. Because I've been pardoned. But the gracious, gracious. God. Who gives such and and there's a second gift, I said, we're looking at gifts in our presence, that's the first reason we can sing and joy, but there's a second gift. And that is found in verse 17, a where we read the Lord, your God in your midst. You know, it's a wonderful thing. To think that the Lord is in our midst, one of the themes that we see in the Old Testament running into the New Testament is that God was dwelling with his people. Sometimes in such holiness that they couldn't even get close to him as we see in Exodus chapter 19. At other times, it was when the tabernacle was built and the glory and the cloud came down. And you recall that they couldn't even minister there because God was in their midst. And then when Solomon's temple was built and the cloud came down and they couldn't enter in because God was there. Ah, but you know what? The fact is. God is here. In all of his majesty and glory. Oh, he hasn't manifested himself in the cloud. But we do know this. As Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16, speaking of the gathered church, this is referring to the church, not each individual, but of the church as it's gathered. He says, do you not know that you, the church, y'all, that's a plural y'all, are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in y'all that is in the church when we gather to worship. Did you hear Pastor Al say now we begin our worship at that moment? All of God's presence was with us. He's in our midst. Oh, what a glorious gift that is. What a glorious gift that is. Remember the promise of Jesus, he said, were two or three are gathered together in my name, in my name, in my name, that is, as a true church of Jesus Christ, there I am in the midst of them. How does this help those who are troubled with trials of life, struggling with temptation or struggling with assurance? Well, you want to be here, don't you? Why do you want to be here? You know why you want to be here? Because Jesus is here. That's why you want to be here. Does not that give you comfort? Does that give you assurance? But I suspect that there are some who say, well, I still have doubts. Zephaniah knew you would still have doubts, so he brings a second reason to sing and shout and to take away your doubts. The second reason is because of God's power. Look at verse 17, the second statement there. The mighty one will say. God's power. His power to save you from coming judgment. And then to help you with all your troubles, trials, struggles, victory over temptation, and to give you a sweet assurance. Do you believe it? Remember the power of God? I mean, the Bible is full of illustrations of the power of God, is it not? We can't list them all, but let me just give you one illustration. This is Christmas time. Well, it's a little past Christmas, but we're still thinking about it. You remember what the angel said to Mary? When she was going to have a baby, she said, I don't know a man. How can I have a baby? And the angel said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power, the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore, also that holy one who is to be born should be called the son of God. How can a virgin have a baby, the power of God, God in the womb of a woman? Impossible, except for the power and love of God. Thomas Watson, I was listening to my dear brother who has a daily broadcast. He quoted Thomas Watson. He says he thinks the greatest humiliation that Christ had was to descend and be in the womb of a mother. The power of God. Does that give you some comfort? God is mighty to save. He can save you. Ah, but you still I'm still not sure I still have doubts. Will step and I would you knew you would. So he gives you one last reason to put away all doubts and to know that in your struggles against temptation, the struggles that you have a life that there will be that there will be deliverance. And that's found in 17 C where he says this. He that's the Lord. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Here, Zephaniah reveals the infinite, eternal love of the Lord for all his people who are trusting in him. Did you know that there is a divine soloist? Well, if you didn't know it, you know it now. Having read that verse, there is a divine soloist. God himself is the soloist and he's singing. You say, well, no, God can't sing. Well, of course he can sing. He can do anything he wants. Now, of course, we understand we can't take this in a literal sense. We understand all that. I hope you do anyway. But nonetheless, there is a truth here. Well, I like the way John Calvin put it. John Calvin put it this way. He says he that is the Lord assumes the person of a mortal man, because unless he stammers in this manner stammers, is God stammering? No, he's just communicating with us as men, knowing that we can't ever comprehend the infinite, eternal, magnificent love that he has. So he has to use an illustration to show us his love. So Calvin says, as he stammers in this manner, he cannot sufficiently show us how much he loves us. You catch that? The Lord cannot. He it is impossible for the Lord to show us how much he loves us. Why? Because he's infinite. We're fine. Well, let me read on from Calvin, he says, thy God will therefore be quiet in his love. This will be the greatest delight of thy God. Listen to that. This is the greatest delight of thy God. The greatest delight, Calvin says. This is his chief pleasure, Calvin says. When he shall cherish thee as a man caressing, caressing, caresses his dearest wife. So will God then quietly rest in his love. Can you believe that? That's the illustration that's used. Do you believe it? How could you ever doubt your salvation when you know that there is a God who says, I'm singing over you. My greatest pleasure is that you belong to me. I love you. Do you understand it? We can never understand the fullness, but this is what the Holy Spirit is teaching us here in Zephaniah 317. As I said, there's no place else in the Bible that this truth is found. There's one time, only one time in the New Testament where we read that Jesus sang and that was on the night he was betrayed. He sang with the disciple. I'm sure he's saying many other times, but just one recorded time. But here we find not here we find the divine soloist singing over his people. When I read that Calvin, I wept. I just went. It's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Or I thought, think of a mother hugging and cuddling her infant baby who is crying and she sings to the baby. Jesus loves me. This I know for the Bible tells me so. And so the divine soloist sings Over with rejoicing over his precious children. Over you. If you're resting in him. Do away with the doubts. The joy of the Lord is your strength, my friend. Why doubt if you know that the divine soloist is singing over you with his greatest pleasure? That you belong to him. Well, I love it. Are you seeking him? I trust you are. If you don't know him right now, repent and believe the gospel. Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Father, we thank you that you are a God who loves undeserving sinners. We pray that we would believe those truths that have been revealed to us, not only here in Zephaniah, but in so many places in the scripture. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.