Here’s the audio and notes for my sermon “Wrath & Redemption” based on Zephaniah 2:4-3:8 preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in August 2024.
Zeph 2:3-3:8 “Wrath and Redemption”
Intro: Friend who only spoke about God’s wrath; 2 errors—not mentioning it; only mentioning it. Bible=God of wrath & redemption! M.I. Because our God is a God not only has wrath but also redemption, we should seek Him!
CONTEXT: Zephaniah was a prophet in Jerusalem during the days of King Josiah, only 40 years before Babylonian exile.
-A time when the land was full of unfaithfulness to God, idolatry, and much corruption
-Zephaniah’s message was one of WRATH but also REDEMPTION—judgment and salvation, punishment and mercy.
LAST WEEK: Watch out! God’s wrath is coming upon on Judah, so now is the time to repent and seek God.
-REMEMBER: Because God IS love, God has wrath.
–Zeph 2:3: SEEK THE LORD!
TODAY: God’s wrath is coming on the nations, but so is His redemption. God has not only wrath, but also redemption
-Because this is true, we should seek Him!
M.I. Because our God is a God not only has wrath but also redemption, we should seek Him!
WRATH TO THE WEST (4-7): Philistines
WRATH (4-6): God’s wrath is coming upon the Philistines, the people directly WEST of Judah
-Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron=cities of the Philistines (4-5)
-DESTRUCTION Coming (4-6)
– The word of the LORD is against you, (5)
REDEMPTION (7): God is bringing redemption for the faithful remnant of Judah
-“remnant of the house of Judah”=believers in Judah who endure and remain after God’s judgment and purging of evil
-Inheriting the land! (7)
-GOD’S CARE AND REDEMPTION: For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
–Matt 5:5àLand promise greatly expanded in the NT!
WRATH TO THE EAST (8-11): Moab and Ammon
Moabites and Ammonites were the descendants of Lot’s daughters.WRATH (8-11a)
-Sinful, Proud Actions against Judah (8)
-Destruction coming upon them (9a)
REDEMPTION (9b)
-Faithful remnant inheriting the land
WRATH (10-11a)
– This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the LORD of hosts. (10)
-Their sin and ERROR: They were against God’s people
– The LORD will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
-God’s awesome power and destruction against all other gods.
REDEMPTION (11b)
-WONDERFUL Redemption for Gentiles: and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.
-God’s heart to redeem a people from every nation: (Rev 5:9-10)
-WE ARE PART OF THE FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY!
WRATH TO THE SOUTH (12): CUSH
The Cushites were a people in Africa, who at times warred with Israel
WRATH (12) 12 You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
–NOTE: “MY sword”
WRATH TO THE NORTH (13-15): ASSYRIA
Assyria was a great world power with Nineveh it’s capital
-Assyria already took northern kingdom into exile
WRATH (13-15)
-God’s PERSONAL hand of destruction (13)
-Nineveh was conquered by Babylon and a writer 200 years later said there only dust where a city once lay
-Aftermath of Destruction (14)
-Extremely Proud and Arrogant (15)
–QUESTION:
-Are we a nation humble or proud?
-Are you individually humble or proud?
–BE WARNED! GOD opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Jas 4:6)
WRATH TO JERUSALEM (3:1-5)
Zephaniah’s prophecy of judgment returns to Jerusalem
-Here we see the prophet expose the UNRIGHTEOUS character of Jerusalem and RIGHTEOUS CHARACTER of God
UNRIGHTEOUS JERUSALEM (1-4)
–1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!
–2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God.
– 3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning.
– 4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.
–SUMMARY: Jerusalem is FULL of Corruption, and evil.
-They are deserving of God’s just judgment.
RIGHTEOUS GOD (5)
The prophet helps us to see the righteous nature of God
– 5 The LORD within her is righteous;
-Unlike Jerusalem, the nations, AND us!, God is righteous
–1 John 1:5 –he does no injustice;
-Unlike us, God shows no injustice
–every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail;
-God’s justice is constant, daily, and present
-God brings about judgments in this life—through civil authorities, deaths, destruction.
-To human eye, it looks like God is absent. But God is just and brings judgements even now
–FINAL JUDGMENT is delayed due to mercy (2 Peter 3:4-10)CONTRAST: but the unjust knows no shame.
-Shameless nature of the unjust: should have shame, but instead is shameless.
GOD’S WRATH TO THE NATIONS (6-8)
The prophet concludes this section with a summary judgment on the nations.
WRATH ON THE NATIONS (6)
-God’s judgment on the nations!
-They all belong to Him and are ultimately accountable to Him
RIGHTEOUS GOD (7a)
-God’s word of prophecy is that the hearers would repent!
-If hearers repent, God’s judgment would relent: see Jonah’s message to Nineveh.
UNRIGHTEOUS JUDAH (7b)
-Instead of repenting, they sinned even more!
-Here is wickedness: when judgment is warned of, people plow ahead to more sin and evil.
-Same is true today.
WRATH UPON ALL THE NATIONS (8)
-Wait, because God will bring about judgment (8a)
-Judgment will be upon ALL the nations (8b)
–Partial fulfillment in Babylon’s conquest of the Middle East.
–Full fulfillment at the end of History.
*QUESTION: Does God have wrath on the nations TODAY?
PRESENT WRATH: Rom 1:18—32
-Consider our nation and those around us. Here is how we see the wrath of God today.
FUTURE WRATH: Romans 2:4-5
-BUT…Our God is not only a God of wrath, but also redemption! And we see this in the GOSPEL!
*GOSPEL CONNECTION: Our God is STILL a God of Wrath, Redemption and Righteousness.
ROMANS 3:21-26
3:21-22a: RIGHTEOUSNESS
3:22b-24: REDEMPTION
3:25a: WRATH (propitiation)
3:25b-26: RIGHTEOUSNESS
CONCLUDING APPLICATION:
Zeph 1:7: Be silent before this God of Wrath and Redemption. Adore and rejoice in Him
Zeph 2:3: SEEK God, a God of wrath and redemption. Place your trust in Jesus. Seek Him this week.
