You can turn over to Zephaniah. It's the book we're looking at this afternoon, right toward the end of the Old Testament. I guess it's the third from the Old Testament. No, the fourth from the end of the Old Testament. Do you yearn for real reformation? I hope you know what I mean by that. It can be frustrating to see churches struggling along through the centuries to see the church as a whole struggling along. Wonderful things have happened as people from all over the world have come to Christ. But there's also an element of disappointment about it, that it's not what it should be. There are scandals in the church. The majority of those who are baptized do not really trust in the Lord for their salvation or seek to obey Him as their Lord. And even in the congregations that do hold to the truth and follow Christ, it's only a generation or two until they drift into unbelief and are divided. Often with the faithful followers being the ones that are excluded from the church in name. And even where there is a measure of reformation, there is always much to be desired. Faithfulness, I mean unfaithfulness that's mixed in hypocrisy, members living double lives and engaging in sin, sometimes gross sin. And there are families quarreling and bickering within their own households. And while we ought to stand out in the world for our integrity in business and in our love to others, often we are a poor example. Even when we have real reformation going on, We desire to see more. So my question is, do you, Christian, yearn for real reformation? The prophet Zephaniah lived in a time, in the time of King Josiah. If you remember when we studied Kings and Chronicles, that was a good time of reformation. Josiah returned the people to the things of the Lord. King Josiah and his grandfather, King Hezekiah, were the only two kings, I mentioned them this morning, that did not tolerate worship at the high places and sought to remove that worship that so grieved God over those years of the kings. All the others came short in their reforms. They were only partial. At best, removing the worship of other gods but never removing the worship of the high places. And God makes note of this failing with every king that he names. The reformation of worship is the most difficult of reformations. But even though Josiah led the church in such reform, so that the Lord said of him in 2 Kings 23-25, this is just to give you the context of Zephaniah, 2 Kings 23-25, The Lord said of Josiah, now before him, there was no king like him. It's quite a thing to say. Who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to the law of Moses, nor after him did any arise like him. Quite a thing to say. The Lord was still going to judge, nevertheless, Judah, as he said in 2 Kings 23, the next verse, 23, 26 and 27. Nevertheless, it says, even though Josiah was like that, nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of his great wrath with which his anger was aroused against Judah because of the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. And the Lord said, I will also remove Judah from my sight as I have removed Israel and will cast off this city Jerusalem, which I have chosen and the house of which I said, my name shall be there. Now, what had been done in the reign of Messiah between Hezekiah and Josiah was so great an offense that Judah must still be judged. The Lord knew that as soon as Josiah was gone, the Reformation was not really in the hearts of the nation such that they would not go right back to their old ways, which they did. It was somewhat superficial. Not that Josiah was superficial, but the response of the people was superficial. They would go back to their old sinful ways, and that's exactly what they did. So Zephaniah was at this unique time when this reformation was going on, but as a prophet, he also knew that prophecy that we just read from 2 Kings that was coming. that judgment was still going to fall. He didn't have an ideal of, wow, this reformation is never going to end. It's just going to go on and on. He knew that that was not the way that it was going to be. And so he prophesies in that context. He may have even had a part in giving this prophecy that is recorded faithfully by the author of Kings. Zephaniah would have given the prophecy at the time you see of Josiah, and then it was recorded later by the one that wrote Kings. But in any case, being a prophet, he knew what was coming. Certainly it was in the hearts of some people, the Reformation was in their hearts, but not the majority. Zephaniah's book that we're looking at today then is about what we might call real Reformation. What is the root of real reformation? How does it happen in a people in general and in a people as individuals? He's writing to encourage those who did yearn for real reformation that God will indeed give it. And he is writing to stir up those who did not really desire real reformation to desire it. This is a subject that is certainly relevant for us today. We see the church in such a deplorable state. But here in Zephaniah, we are reminded that the Lord is at work to bring about real reformation that we long for. We who know the Lord in a saving way, we yearn for that. Even when we see some outward reform, we see the heart of many is not really changed. God has not really gotten a hold of them. So let's see what Zephaniah, or rather the Lord through Zephaniah, has to say to us about this. In chapter one, I invite you to open your Bibles and follow along. You know, the most important time to follow along in the Scriptures is when the Word is being preached, as you look at the Scripture through the ministry of the Word. When the Bible is read, if anything, that's a time to listen to the Word read without reading. But then when the sermon is going, to look along and see what the Word of God says. especially in these passages, in these studies where we're going through quickly. So judgment is still going to come. Okay, that's what we see here in Zephaniah in the beginning chapter. Speaking for the Lord, Zephaniah tells of it. You see in verse one, he wrote in the time of Josiah. Now, according to Floyd Jones, Josiah was king from 648 to 617 BC. And as we saw in 2 Kings 23, 26-27, even though there was great reformation going on, judgment was still coming. So here is the prophecy that Zephaniah gives about that coming judgment, similar to what we read in Kings. He speaks of dreadful judgment coming when God would stretch out His hand against those who did not really repent. Look at verse 2. 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. 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, the names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests, those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops, those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom, those who have turned back from following the Lord and have not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him. But why does the Lord make such threats to his people when Josiah's was a time of reformation? When Zephaniah's writing in a time of reformation. The purpose of these judgments and the warnings of them is to teach them to truly feel, to taste his hand of displeasure for their wickedness. They need to get a sense of that wickedness. Because we have the tendency, when sin has become very prevalent in the church, to flatter ourselves. You see? With a bit of reformation. We have a bit of reformation and we say, we're doing so very well. Or in our circumstances today, to flatter ourselves that we're serving the Lord quite faithfully. when in fact, we really have not faced how egregious our sin really is in the sight of God. In verse 7, He calls us to be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is at hand. The idea here is that hearing the warning of the coming judgments, those judgments we just read, should make us pause. Don't you think that would be an effect in the day of Josiah? I mean, the reformation was going on. They were cleaning up the worship, cleaning up the temple, all these things. And then this prophecy comes. Nevertheless, Judah is still going to be destroyed. You stop flattering yourself. Severe affliction is necessary for us as Christians to humble us and to stop our pride. In verse 8 and 9, the Lord says that He will punish the princes who go about in foreign apparel and follow pagan worship rituals. Verse 10 and 11, that there will be cries of anguish all around Jerusalem in the marketplace. They will begin to see just how offensive they have been to God. They think all those things that were done in Manasseh's day even, not so bad. In verse 12 and 13, the indifference that had come over the people is the thing that God is going to expose. Look at it, verse 12 and 13, chapter one, Zephaniah chapter one, verse 12 and 13. And it shall come to pass at that time, the Lord says, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps. I'm gonna look and see what is really there, you see, and punish the men who are settled in complacency. See, there's a right kind of complacency, like a complacency in the Lord and his will, where you're resting in him and in his will. But there's a wrong kind of complacency where you think, oh, we've got reformation, we're good. The Lord will not, the people who say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil. In other words, he's not going to judge. He's not going to punish us. He's not going to do anything. Therefore, their goods, he says, shall become booty. Everything's going to be taken away. Their houses of desolation. They shall build houses, but not inherit them. They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine. So you see, the people suppose that the Lord doesn't care about the sin in their midst. He's not going to do anything. Doesn't matter. He does and he will. God will search you out with lamps if you're like that. He will expose your complacency and wake you up and bring heart by bringing hardship. You will lose the things that you have worked for. I believe it's something that our congregation especially needs to hear. We need to get our priorities straight. Our goal is not to make it big in the world. Our goal is to be godly. Our calling is to worship the Lord God. Not only on Sunday, but in our families, day by day, that we call upon the name of the Lord. We need to make family prayer and Bible reading and exhortation and singing of praise a priority in our households. Our indifference to the things of God because of our love for the world will be our ruin. Have you lost your focus? Have you forgotten your calling? What matters? what really matters. God says that we will not be able to stop His punishment from coming on us. It's set in motion already. The decree has gone forth. In verse 14, He begins by saying, the great day of the Lord is near. It hastens quickly. And then in verse 18, He reminds them that their riches that they find so much pleasure in won't be of any help to them. when that judgment comes. It will not alleviate the judgment. Verse 18, neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath, but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. For He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. What would you rather have if God were to pour out chastisement and judgment upon us? Would you rather have a fine home when that happens? Or would you rather have had years of walking with God and of calling on the name of the Lord and singing praise to Him and knowing Him? Where would you rather be? What matters? What is more important? Even though there was a general reformation under Josiah, so much had been wrong that there was no turning back now. The people were just too cold and callous toward the Lord. The judgment was going to come. They were too comfortable with their sin. There was no way to reverse the punishment that was coming. It had to come because it was still in their attitudes that the Lord could not possibly be very displeased with them. Do we think that? In verse 15 through 17, he describes how dreadful the judgment will be. Why? Because it's meant to jolt us out of our unreality to the truth of our sin. 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. Look at all those words, wrath, trouble, distress, devastation, desolation, darkness, gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. Verse 17, I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse." Do you not agree that such measures are needed if we're ever going to really change? If we're really gonna take God seriously as a God who hates sin, we think we're being treated unjustly when in fact we're receiving all kinds of mercy. We think our sins are small when in fact our sins are big. We do not see how much we need a Savior, that our own righteousness is worthless. Even our reformations are not enough. We're unclean before the Lord. What does Zephaniah, or rather, what does the Lord hope to gain by these warnings? He warns us. Why? Why does he do this? To turn us to Christ our Savior. You see, if we're not reaching out to Christ, then what are we doing? We're complacent. We're resting in what we are. So always we should be stretching forth to the calling that we have in Christ. You see how he earnestly calls us to repent and seek the Lord. Look at the call in chapter 2, verse 1 through 3. Gather yourselves together. Yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. This is what we are, an undesirable nation. Apart from Christ, we got nothing. He tells us to gather together, verse 2, and then before the decree is issued or the day passes like the chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you, to be prepared for the coming judgment. Where do you want to be? Filled with your own ways and your own self-righteousness or your own worldliness or whatever it is? Or do you want to be filled with resting in Christ? That's what He's calling for, you see? It's not an ugly thing in the sense of, it is ugly what we are, you see, in ourselves. We're not near what we should be. We've got to see that. But then with joy, we lay hold of the promise of Christ. We seek Him. Are you doing that? Are you reaching out to Him? Are you crying out to Him in your families together? Are you praying? Are you seeking the Lord? Or are you just coasting along? See, verse three, seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth. Proud don't do that. Oh, we're we're reformed. We have got everything all together. No, seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth who have upheld his justice. Seek righteousness. Seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Yes, to be found in Him. If you're not in pride, but in humility, with a broken and contrite heart before Him, disgusted with what you are, yearning for what He has, He's with you all the way. You're not going to be righteous. You're not going to be perfect in yourself. But you're holding on to Christ, who is righteous. This is a call, you see, to come to Him. Do you see the problem? Even though there was reformation going on, People have grown so familiar with all of their deplorable conduct that the Reformation made it seem like they're really doing great. By calling them to repent and seek the Lord and to seek righteousness and humility, He's calling them to come for the promised Christ has been revealed to them through the shadows of the temple. And the point is, they're supposed to be looking for their Messiah. And we're supposed to be looking to Him, looking for mercy and grace instead of resting in our own goodness. It is only in Christ that you can be hidden in the day of God's anger. You must come to Him knowing that you are full of sin, and then you must look to Him to make you whole and secure, and to secure your pardon. You can't atone for your own sins? How would you do that? You can't present your own righteousness to God? What would that be worth? You will be rejected if you do. Come seeking salvation, and you'll be accepted. As for the surrounding nations, they too are going to experience God's judgment. Why does Zephaniah start talking about the other nations? When we do not fear the Lord as we should, we begin to think God's not going to judge anybody very much. We don't fear for the other nations around us. We think, oh yeah, you know, God doesn't, he doesn't really, he doesn't really care about that. Our thought is that God doesn't care that much about sin and that it's just the way he is. You remember what the Lord said back in 112 that we looked at, that the people would come to think that the Lord will not do good or do evil. Zephaniah is saying not so. Lots of Christians are like that today. They draw comfort. Oh, God would never judge anyone very much. Those nations, they're pretty good. They're pretty good nations, and he wouldn't do very much. And then we feel like we're really secure, because we're God's people. He's not gonna judge anybody very much. And we're over here, we're God's people, so we're secure in our own righteousness. Zephaniah puts an end to such notions. Chapter two, verse four through 15. He pronounces judgment against Philistia, then against Moab and Ammon, then against Ethiopia, then against Assyria. This was written before the fall of Nineveh that we saw a couple weeks ago. The judgment against Philistia is found in two, four through seven. Principal cities of Philistia, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron are mentioned. And in verse five, God says that he's against them and will destroy them. And if you look at verse seven, it's mentioned that their sheepfolds are gonna be used by God's people. What is that showing? That after this judgment comes, Philistia's not gonna be around anymore. God's people are still gonna go on. They're gonna be restored. A remnant's gonna be restored to the land, and they'll be actually using some of those areas in Philistia for their own sheep. And then with Moab and Ammon, these were the descendants, you remember, of Lot, Abraham's nephew. Do you remember where Lot went? He went to Sodom. Comfortable place. And he lived there. He was the one that God rescued. Had to pretty much drag him out of Sodom and Gomorrah when the Lord destroyed those cities for their wickedness. Moab and Ammon were the sons that were born to him by incest when he got his daughters pregnant, when they got their father drunk and then he might lay with them and they could have children. And Moab and Ammon were the children. They'd been rescued out of Sodom when Sodom was destroyed. What is striking here is that these who escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah are now told that they will be judged like Sodom and Gomorrah. You see that? Look at verse eight and nine. I have heard the reproach of Moab and the insults of the people of Ammon, with which they have reproached my people. They were saying that God's people wouldn't continue as a nation, you know, that they were gonna destroy them, whatever. And the arrogant threats made against their borders. Let's stop there for a minute. What should they have been doing with God's people? They should have been cherishing them, why? Because Lot knew promises were made to Abraham that the salvation of the world was coming through Israel, through Judah. Moab, a relative, Ammon, a relative, they should have been defending and protecting these people through whom Messiah was going to come. They should have been calling on the name of the Lord with them. But since Judah and Israel weren't really calling on the Lord like they should, Moab and Ammon were even worse. What were they doing though? They were reproaching and making arrogant threats against the people of God. They didn't care about Messiah. Verse nine. Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab shall be like Sodom and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah, overrun with weeds and salt pits in a perpetual desolation. The residue of my people shall plunder them and the remnant of my people shall possess them. So He's going to bring down their pride for the worship of their false gods. These nations that came from Lot, that knew of God's salvation, here they're told, you know what? You who are delivered from Sodom and Gomorrah are going to be like Sodom and Gomorrah when I destroy you. It shows how nations that once knew God can turn away from Him over the generations. It's in all of us to so depart from the Lord's mercy and grace that we end up ruined in the generations to come. We've got to look to the Lord to keep us, not just for our lives. Pray for your children. Pray for the next generation, that they will go on in the way of the Lord. This is so important. And children of the church, like I said in the prayers earlier, you need to be stronger, not weaker than your parents. You're going to be going into the next generation for the Lord Jesus Christ. You've got to walk with the Lord. by His grace, yearning for Christ, what I was talking about before. Not that we're ever going to be all that we should be. That's the whole point. But we're going forth, reaching after Christ, yearning for all the blessing and the grace that He has promised to us. Ethiopia is mentioned briefly in verse 12. They will be slain by the sword. And then the fall of Assyria, the coming destruction of that capital city Nineveh that Nahum wrote about, is prophesied in verses 13 through 15. And the reason? Because they were lifted up with pride. These guys actually talk like they were God. Look what it says about them, verse 15. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt securely, that said in her heart, I am it and there is none beside me. That's what God says. I am God and there's none beside me. Assyria said that. It's just asking for God to strike you down. And He did. Nineveh fell. It fell hard. And then the battle of Carchemish finished them off. The Assyrian Empire, that great empire that no one could stop, God stopped. It was gone. Their government was not able to save them anymore. Ungodly nations trust in their government. That's all they have. They don't have God. We've got a strong government. We've got military. We've got power. God brings it down. This pronouncement of judgment on the nations is not meant to make us proud. God didn't write about what he was gonna do to the nations so we could say, yeah, we're not like those old nations over there supposing that we're better. No, it's written for the opposite reason. In the context of this book, why is it written? It's written to break our pride and to say God is a God who judges. They're judged for their pride. What about our pride? should humble us. Seeing what happens to them, we realize that God is displeased with sin and that He judges sin. We don't want to minimize what He does to the nations that are not His, because we need to walk in the fear of the Lord with Christ as our only hope. So now the Lord turns back to His people. And brothers and sisters, it gets really encouraging here. Chapter 3. He shows what the outcome will be. for His people by grace. First, He exposes the fact that what He had done thus far to punish them hadn't worked. It didn't achieve, it didn't humble them. They've not turned to him as their savior, but they're still rebellious. Even in their reformation, right? They're not looking to him as savior. They're just getting swollen up. Yeah, we reformed our worship. We did this and this. They've not turned to him. They're still in their rebellion. Look at 3.1. Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted to the oppressing city. He's talking to his people now. 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. Lord and Savior is so ready to receive us. He sends His word to us. He chastens us. He warns us. He shows us again and again our need of Him. But we're foolish. We don't receive His correction. We don't draw near to Him. Further, our leaders become predators, not ministering to the people, but rather becoming those who themselves stir up God's wrath against his nation. Zephaniah 3, 3, and 4, her princes in her midst are roaring lions. They're supposed to be protectors. I mean, it could be a roaring lion against the enemies, but you're talking about devouring the people. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave not a bone till morning. Instead of defending the weak as judges, they make a prey of the people they're supposed to be protecting. Her prophets, verse 4, are insolent, teaching Treacherous people, ministers of the word that don't exalt God and that don't tell the truth. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law. They're supposed to guard the purity of the sanctuary. And they themselves are the ones that are polluting it. Do you see? Do you see this in our leaders? Such conduct is so inappropriate. Verse 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. Such leaders, they're so out of accord with their master. Here's the Lord, rising up, doing mercy every day. And here they are, devouring the people, telling lies to them, polluting them. Just the opposite of what should be done. Just the opposite of what fathers should be doing. This is despicable, very displeasing. So God sends correction and warnings to humble them and bring them to repentance. But the methods fail. Look at verse six and seven. Show how it's just not enough. He says, I have cut off nations. Their fortresses are devastated. I have made their streets desolate with none passing by. Remember almost all the cities in Judah except Jerusalem have been destroyed. It wasn't a little thing. Their cities are destroyed. There is no one, no inhabitant. I said, surely you will fear me. Surely you will receive instruction. so that her dwelling would not be cut off. I don't want to wipe them out completely, God says. Despite everything for which I punished her, but they rose early to seek the Lord. What were they early doing? Rising up early, eager to do. What was it? What does it say? Despite everything for which I punished her, but they rose early and corrupted all their deeds. The chastisement hadn't changed them. We still go on in our pride rebellion, never really changing, even when there is a revival. Our cause would be utterly hopeless, but for the Lord's special work that goes beyond sending prophets, and beyond warnings, and beyond chastisement, and beyond punishment. What can He do more? This is the great thing about the grace of God, and this is our only hope. What does He do more? All of those are used, and there must be more, but He changes us by the gracious working of His Holy Spirit. That is the only thing that will work. Do you know the work that I'm talking about? It has many different names. It's called being born again. It's called being born from above. It's called being baptized by the Holy Spirit. It's called regeneration. It's called being raised with Christ. Made alive by Christ. Renewed by the Holy Spirit. Freed from death and bondage. Freed from Satan and made servants of Christ. Taking away of a stony heart and replacing it with a heart of flesh that responds to God. It's called writing God's law in our heart so that we delight in His ways. We could go on with many different descriptions. It's the work of God by His Spirit. Do you know this work of God in your own experience? In your own heart? It is His transformation of you from pride to humility, so that you receive and rest upon Christ alone for your salvation. You turn from yourself to your Savior. Here is Zephaniah. Here in Zephaniah, God calls this transforming work by another name. I love this. He calls it giving us a new language. New language. What do you talk about with this new language? That's what makes it new. Let's look and see what it says here. Verse 9. For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language that they may call on the name of the Lord to serve Him with one accord. A new language where instead of boasting pride, they call on the name of the Lord. What does the Bible say when you have that new language and you call upon the name of the Lord? Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. What a marvelous thing. We go from those who have the language of boasting to those who have a new tongue and a new language with a new heart that we call on the name of the Lord. And note the time of the great work. It tells you in verse 8. When does God do this? It's after the coming judgment by Babylon that God has said was going to come upon Judah, despite the fact that they had their little reformation thingy with Josiah. It's gonna be after that. Zephaniah 3.8 says, the Lord says, therefore, wait for me, says the Lord, until the day I rise up for plunder, my determination is to gather the nations to my assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation and all my fierce anger, all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. This judgment was coming on Judah and her neighbors would prepare Judah for the work of God, restoring their language to a pure language. So what does he do? He breaks them with that chastisement, and then he pours his spirit on them to change their heart. And they come to God calling on his name, no longer relying on themselves. Look at the change that comes as a result of this great work of God. Verse 10 shows that it brings people from far away to God. Even people from beyond Ethiopia. When God pours out His Spirit, the nations are going to come. Zephaniah 3.10, from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. That's a long way. Ethiopia was way, way, and this was beyond that, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering." See, they're coming to worship. In verse 11 shows that it finally breaks their pride and removes the proud and the haughty from their midst, the people who aren't broken. Zephaniah 3, 11. In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against me, for then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride. You shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. That will be a splendid change. And look what's left. This is marvelous. It's the result of God's powerful, gracious, saving work. Verse 12. What's going to be left after God does His work? I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. That's what's going to remain. Proud people? Gone. Meek and humble people left. And who are those meek and humble people? They're people that in themselves are proud. But because of God's chastisement and God's spirit in the new birth, they are now seeking the Lord. This is what God wants. Not a people who suppose themselves to be good, but a people who are meek and humble and look to Him in mercy for salvation. And yes, when they do that, their behavior is changed. They do behave differently. So that instead of devouring one another, they live in peace and they look out for each other. Verse 13, 313. 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 a picture of peace. No more deceitful tongue. Like integrity, honesty, feeding their flocks. My brothers and sisters, what a marvelous transforming work God does in His people. How excellent when He turns us from ourselves to our Christ, for His grace, from trusting our own way to trusting in His way and finding our life in Him. We make such a wreck of things when we try to do it ourselves. But the blessing comes when the Lord gives us a new language, the language of faith. But the blessing doesn't end with that, no. Indeed, best of all, we are restored to our Heavenly Father, our dear Heavenly Father, who has all majesty and glory. We are restored to His family. You are admonished to sing because God Himself is in our midst. Look at Zephaniah 3.14. Sing, O daughter of Zion. We use this for a call to worship sometimes. 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. Now look at this. Who is this talking about? The King of Israel, the Lord. All capital letters. That's Yahweh, Jehovah, the king of Israel, the Lord is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more. That is the Lord Jesus Christ, the king of his people that God provides to them. the mediator who comes in their midst. All is well when Christ is among us. He has taken away our judgments. He casts out our enemies. We see disaster no more in Him. You see, He loves us with a remarkable love that cherishes us. and that even rejoices in us. I told you good stuff was coming. These are some of the most delightful words in the whole Bible. Zephaniah 3, 16 and 17. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Do not fear, Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst." Okay, we were just seeing that. Christ among us. 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 singing with joy about us. Why? Because we called on the name of the Lord and we're in Christ. Christ is in our midst. He makes us beautiful. He makes us lovely. And God delights in us. We are people worthy to go to hell. He, the God who comes and saves us and then sings over us with joy. quieting us in His love, putting us into true peace and comfort in His household. A comfortable place, a place of holiness. Understand, this is a love that we would never have understood, though, without first being humbled and broken about our sin and what we are before Him. Wretched, filthy, unclean thing, worthy to be destroyed. And now here he is after his saving work, rejoicing over us with deep love and gladness, the holy eternal God. Think of it. So let me ask you, are you grieved over the condition of the church today and the church's reputation in the world? Are you grieved by her ungodliness? Is it a burden and a reproach to you or do you not really care? Do you see how much we need a Savior, and how nothing but a divine Savior will do? I hope you do. I hope that your pride has been broken, and that you're among those who have a new language by the Holy Spirit, a new heart from the Holy Spirit, so that you can call on the Lord in faith. Because look what God says to those who are grieved over the state of the church. Look what he says. He says he'll gather us to himself. Verse 18. I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly. What's the appointed assembly? That's the church. Why are they sorrowing over it? Because of its state, its condition. I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you to whom its reproach is a burden. They're grieved by the condition of it. Verse 19, Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather those who are driven out. I will appoint them for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame. Weak people. The lame. It doesn't matter. You don't have to be somebody that everybody thinks is something else. You're in Christ. He's something else. See? Verse 20. At that time I will bring you back. Even at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I return your captives before your eyes, says the Lord. Why are we so worried about our pride and what we look like to the world? We have everything in Christ. This is where we go. What grand things we have seen in the Gospel according to Zephaniah. The good news according to Zephaniah. It begins with the church undergoing reformation. But it teaches us that the church still needs to be humble because the church has grown accustomed to their sin. And they don't see their need for Christ. And it ends with God having crushed them under His chastening hand. Now great who did that now graciously restoring them to a pure language. So that they call upon Christ for salvation. And become the object of his love and joy. Praise be to our God. Please stand for prayer. Oh Lord God, we praise you that you're a God who gives to your people a new language, a pure language, so that they call on your name. Father, we desire for that language to be ours, each one of us, Lord, that we would have a heart crying out to you, Lord, work in me. Lord, forgive me, Lord, have mercy on me. Lord, strengthen me, make me one of your people. Deliver me from my pride and my selfishness, from my greed, from my corruption, my immorality. Lord, make me holy like you're holy. Make me a beautiful child of yours who cares about other people. And not just about myself. Father, deliver me from all of these things. Give me a heart to worship you. to delight in you, to serve you. Oh Lord, we have none of these things in ourselves. We're not what we need to be, Lord. We call upon your name. We call upon our Savior. He's been revealed in our midst as the mediator, the one who brings us everything that we need from heaven, the one who has everything that we need as man, coming as God and man, the one who reconciles us and makes a beautiful, lovely church all because of his work. Father, we are here looking to you, calling on you, reaching out to you. Father, help us to live this way. Help us to do this as individuals. Help us to do it as families. Help us to do it as a church. Father, the Old Testament has led us all the way as we've studied through it to these prophets at the end. who are teaching us to turn our eyes upon Christ, to look to Him in all of His fullness and all of His glory and all of His majesty and all of His tender mercies toward His people. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall see disaster no more. What a promise you have made to us, Lord. Here we are, Lord. Take us, make us. all that you've called us to be. Bring us into your house, into your eternal kingdom. Give us complacency of the right kind. Delight in you, rest in you, rather than a complacency of those who are hardened toward you. Oh Lord, have mercy on our soul. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. People which the Lord has claimed are pleasant in His eyes. Just what we were reading about. His grace be with you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.