Turn with me now to the book of Zephaniah, page 1165 in my Bible, the fourth book from the end of the Old Testament. Zephaniah chapter 2. I'm going to read this whole chapter, but I'm going to start by reading the first three verses. And let's really listen to this. Let's not just read this like the next chapter in Zephaniah. Let's not just read this as historical words that are written or a prophecy of future things or a lesson that can be learned. Let's really listen to this. I want to encourage you to ask the Lord to let you really listen to this and really enter into this. God is saying something and he's saying something to us. And every now and then I tell you, you know, this really hit home to me. Well, this really hit home to me. And I believe this is going to really hit home to you. And old and young, I want every person here to really hear what he's saying. I want to strongly emphasize this. Let's put our, if you're old enough to know what it means to put your thinking cap on, let's put our thinking caps on. Let's turn our ears on. Let's dial into this. Our eternity depends on this. It depends on this. This could be the most important thing we ever hear in our lives. And I'm very serious. I'm very serious at this moment. I preached from Zephaniah 1 Sunday night. And Monday morning, first thing, I already knew that this was our message. I already knew what the focus of the message was. And then when I got word about Brother Hines, And that continued into Tuesday. This brought all new urgency to me. And I just want to bring urgency to you in this. You know that chapter one, which we just looked at chapter one was all judgment. It was all judgment. The whole chapter was the judgment of God on man for his sin. And the last verse in chapter one, verse 18 said, and this is the Lord speaking. These are the words of the Lord. He said, neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. He said, they are not going to be able to buy their way out of my wrath. They will have nothing to deliver them from my wrath. The wrath of God is coming down on this planet. I know what that sounds like. I told you before, I understand that sounds like I ought to grow my beard real long and hang a sign from my neck and go stand on a street corner in New York City. I understand that. But the wrath of God is going to come down on this planet. We see natural disasters and things happen and we're shocked. You know, you go about life and then all of a sudden the news, everything is, you know, some big thing is happening. The world is talking about it. Well, the world's not going to be talking about anything after this because it's all going to be over. But God's wrath is coming down on this planet and we need to get ready because it's going to be on a day that we think not. In verse 18, he said, 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 shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell. in the land. Now, listen to chapter 2. Okay? Listen to this. And I'm talking to Gabe Stoniker. Gabe Stoniker, listen to this. Listen to this. Listen to this. Chapter 2, verse 1. This is still the Lord speaking. He said, Gather yourselves together. Yea, gather together, O nation not desired. before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you, seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment, seek righteousness, seek meekness, it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Does that get anybody? I mean, sometimes I'm so burdened about what I have to say, I just want to lay down on the floor and not even say it because I know I'm not going to get it across. I'm not going to do it justice. I'm not going to be able to get out what my soul is wanting to get out. I understand why different men came up to the Lord and fell at his feet as a dead man. Well, we just, we need this. We need to, we're not playing games anymore. We're just not playing games anymore. Verse one says, gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired, nothing desirable in you whatsoever. We are a nation that has nothing desirable. There is nothing desirable about us, nothing. Man has his proud look, and man has his proud heart, and his proud life, and God says, that's the thing I hate the most, pride. Pride. What man desires so much, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, God said, that's the thing I despise the most. That's the thing that makes man so undesirable to me. Verse 1, He said, Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired, before the decree bring forth. There's going to come a day when the decree goes. That's it. Angels, go gather my people. Destroyers, get ready to destroy. Before the decree bring forth. Before the day pass as the chaff, that's just the... gone in the wind. Before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you. Before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Oh, if mankind only knew what's coming. If we only knew what's coming. Everybody thinks, God's not angry with me. He's angry with the wicked every day. What's a wicked person? A sinner. Who in this room is a sinner? Everybody here. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. If we say we haven't sinned, we're calling God a liar. And that's a sin. Oh, if mankind only knew. We went on this big, huge trip. We traveled to Europe, we traveled to Africa, and I told them at one point, I said, what is overwhelming me is the amount of people I'm seeing. I can't believe how many people there are on the earth. And every soul is going to go meet God. And souls are not ready to go meet God. They don't know who God is. They don't even know that God is a God of anger and fierce wrath. No, God is love. God loves everybody. Not according to God. Verse 3, He said, Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment, Seek righteousness, seek meekness. It may be. You shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. We need to be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. He said it may be. That's what I've titled this message. It may be. What that means is, number one, He does not have to put us in His hiding place. That's what it means, first of all. It may be. Number one, He does not have to put a soul in His hiding place. He is under no obligation to us. People think, well, He has to save me. No, He doesn't. He is under no obligation to us. Number one, He does not have to put us in His hiding place. But number two, this is what it means. There is a hiding place. Thank God. That's what He's saying. There's a hiding place. Before this day comes, realize, no, there's a hiding place. And He is willing to put some undesirable sinners in it. And according to God's word, we're just as undesirable as anybody else. It may be us. It may be you. He said, you gather. You beg, you seek, you cry, it may be. But here's the thing about it. Don't assume. Don't assume. The greatest error that any man, woman, boy, or girl could ever make is assuming that he or she is saved. That's the greatest error any soul could ever make. Every soul here ought to not assume that they are saved right now, before the decree goes forth. I mean, everybody starting with me. Yeah, I wrote this. I wrote that in my notes. And when I wrote that in my notes, I said, starting with me, I'll do it by God's grace. Every soul here ought to right now not assume that he or she is saved. This word is saying to every person here, don't assume that you're saved. If we assume that we are saved, we are probably not. I want all I want everybody to know that I want you young people to know that I want you old people to know that. If we assume that we are saved, we are probably not. God's people can have assurance without assuming on it. God's people can have assurance without assuming on it. God's people do not assume on their salvation. They gather, they seek, they beg, they cry. God's people do. They say, Lord, if it may be, let it be on me. They don't go around saying, well, I'm saved. If anybody's saved, I'm saved. Ain't no doubt in my mind, I'm saved. They say, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Yesterday's mercy is gone. I need brand spanking new mercy today. Save me today. Well, I was saved back, you know, whenever I was baptized back in. Save me right now before the decree goes forth. I need it right now. I pray the Lord will reveal the urgency of this to us and will cause us to do this. And here's the reason why. This is not the cause of salvation. Christ is the cause of salvation. But this is the evidence. This is the evidence. Faith in Christ. Faith is something active in and toward and for the Lord Jesus Christ. It just is. It's not of ourselves. It's the gift of God. It's even the work of God in us. But faith looks to Christ actively. And it hopes in Christ and it says, you're all I have. If if I don't have you, I don't have anything. And if salvation is not you, then I don't have salvation. Faith calls on Christ in the soul. And it's the evidence. It says, Christ is the only hope that may be. It may be. Well, Christ is the only hope that may be. It may only be in Him. Now, that is the urgency of His Word to us, and here's the reason why. Verse 4 says, Because, okay, he said in verse 1, gather yourselves together, ye gather together, O nation not desired, before the decree bring forth, before the day passes the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you, seek ye the Lord. Cry out to the Lord, all ye meek of the earth. Only a sinner made meek in the Lord Jesus Christ can be this way. which have wrought his judgment, seek righteousness, seek meekness. That's a person. It's not a thing, that's a person. It may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Verse four, he said, for Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation. They shall drive out Ashdod at the noonday. And Ekron shall be rooted up. All of those are Philistine cities in the land of Palestine. And they are still there to this day. They're in a little strip. If you look at a map southeast of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean Sea, you know what that kind of looks like. As you look at the Mediterranean Sea, the bottom strip of it right there, all those cities they just named, it's the bottom strip. Verse 4, Gaza shall be forsaken, Ashkelon a desolation. They shall drive out Ashdod at the noonday and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoast. The nation of the Karathites, their name means executioners. They were foreign mercenary soldiers. That's what they were. Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Carithites! The word of the Lord is against you. O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the seacoast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds and foals of flocks. and the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah, they shall feed thereupon. In the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening, for the Lord their God shall visit them and turn away their captivity. I have heard the reproach of Moab and the revelings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached My people and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab shall be as Sodom and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles and salt pits and perpetual desolation. The residue of my people shall spoil them and the remnant of my people shall possess them. This shall they have for their pride because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts. The Lord will be terrible unto them, for he will famish all the gods of the earth. And men shall worship him, everyone from his place, even all the isles of the heathen. You Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by my sword. And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation and dry like a wilderness. and flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beast of the nations, both the cormorant, that's a pelican, and the bitter, and the birds shall lodge in the upper lentils of it, their voice shall sing in the windows, desolation shall be in the thresholds, for he shall uncover the cedar work. This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am. and there is none beside me. How is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in? Everyone that passeth by her shall hiss and wag his hand." He started that by saying the Gaza Strip is going to be destroyed. Now I believe I was very wisely advised when I started preaching to stay away from prophecy. Do not get caught up in prophecy. What that means is don't try to see the things that are happening in the world and then say that's the fulfillment of this scripture. We don't know what the fulfillment of God's scripture is unless The Word of God says, all this was done that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet. If it says that, then we know that's the fulfillment of Scripture. It's very foolish to assume on God's wisdom and God's Word. But I will say this, based on everything that's going on in the world, that ought to give us a greater sense of urgency. The desolations and destructions that are happening in the world ought to bring a greater sense of urgency to the desolations and destructions that are coming from the Lord in that day. There is going to come a day when we realize time's up. That's it. The day of the Lord's vengeance is at hand. And on that day, some are going to be hid. And some are not. And here's how we can know who is who. OK, this is how we can know who is who. Those who will not be hid on that day. Hid in Christ. hid in the blood and the righteousness of Jesus Christ, covered in the blood, robed in the righteousness, hid in the secret of His tabernacle. Christ is the hiding place. Jesus Christ, my hiding place. Those who will not be hid will hear this warning from God. They will hear the word of the Lord. and it will go in one ear and out the other. It will mean nothing to them. It will produce no fear, no urgency in them. They will assume that they are saved and everything is fine. And then they'll go right on back to the life they were living. That's those who will not be hid. Thus saith the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord. Beg the Lord to put a burden in you. If you don't have a burden, if you say, well, I don't feel fear, ask God to give it to you. Seek the Lord. Cry out to the Lord. If you don't see your need of His righteousness because you think your good works are good enough to go to heaven, seek the Lord. Cry out to the Lord, say, Lord, reveal to me my filthy rag self-righteousness so I will see the need of your righteousness. That's those who will not be here, OK? But those that will be here. They will see their one and only need of a hiding place. Jesus Christ their hiding place. And they will make it their mission in life to gather in the place where his people meet. In the place where he's chosen to put his name there. In the place where he's chosen to put the glory of his name there. And the worship of his name there. Not just the place that glorifies man and worships man, not just the house of false religion, but the house of God, the house that worships Christ in truth. And those people will together, collectively, cry out to God for mercy. Mercy in the hiding place. They will, from the depths of their soul, cry, hide me, oh my Savior, hide. Let your mercy be on me. Let your blood be on me. I do not assume on your goodness to me. I know that I'm unworthy of it. But your loving kindness and your tender mercy, the promise of loving kindness to sinners against you, all because you're a merciful God. All because your heart is full of tender mercy. Your loving kindness and your tender mercy through the cross of your sacrifice. That's the only hope I have of being spared on the day of your fierce anger. It's the Lord Jesus Christ who's coming back. All those who say, Lord, my only hope is that your fierce anger was poured out on Christ in my stead. Every soul who has that response to his warning will be healed. Let me close the message by proving that to you. Turn with me to Matthew 7. Matthew 7 verse 7, Our Lord said, Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth. Is that not good news? And he that seeketh And he's not talking about seeking religion and seeking heaven. He's talking about seeking Jesus Christ for mercy. He that seeketh, findeth. And to him that knocketh, It shall be opened. It shall be. Verse 21 right here. This is the example of those that don't ask, but assume on their salvation. All right, you're going to notice they do not ask the Lord anything. They only tell him. Look at verse 21. Not everyone that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, they're not asking, they're telling. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. What's the will of the Father? Gather ye together. Before that decree goes out, before the anger of the Lord comes upon you, seek the Lord. Seek righteousness. Seek meekness. Seek Christ. Verse 21, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father, which is in heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? They're telling him. And in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Our Lord said, ask, beg, plead, seek, knock, and you'll have it. If you need a greater desire to do that, ask, beg, plead, seek, knock, and he'll give you a greater desire to ask, beg, plead, seek, and knock. May every soul here hear the word of God's warning. every soul here. May God make it effectual to our hearts. May he cause us to seek the Lord. Seek being with the Lord. Seek being found in the Lord. May he cause us to seek his righteousness and not our own. That means his good deeds and his goodness and not our own. May he cause us to say with the rest of his apostles and men, woe is me. Woe is me. I don't need my works for salvation. I need his. If we end up doing that, it will not be the cause of our salvation. It'll be the evidence. And that may be. That was in our text, according to God's promise will become a shall be. Pray the Lord will make it so. Cast your all on Christ. He's our place of safety. He's he's our hiding place. All right.