Evening Sermon

April 5, 2009

Seek Righteousness

Text

Isa. 9:2 "The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

What a glorious prophecy of Jesus.

But we read, John 1:5 "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

So God sent a forerunner, one to prepare the way. John 1:6 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."

We learn more about John in, Luke 1:17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

The question is, How? How did John make ready a people prepared for the Lord? What did he preach?

Luke 3:3 "And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

John's preaching is further described, Luke 3:7 "Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

He exhorted the people to demonstrate the fruit of repentance. That's how people are prepared for the reality of judgment. And that's the message of Zephaniah.

We studied the judgment of God last week, the day of Lord, the fire of his jealousy. The darkness and the gloom, the clouds and the blackness. But in our text today, before the arrival of that great day, the call to repentance sounds.

v.1-3

I. THE CALL TO REPENTANCE IS AN URGENT APPEAL TO SEEK GOD. v.3

"Perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger." There is intentional uncertainty in those words, for it may be too late. The judgment may be inevitable. The people, in their sin, have forfeited all their rights. They cannot presume upon God, only ask with uncertain expectation for the gracious gift of being protected.

And even if they are granted forgiveness, there may be a chastening effect for them on that day of judgment. As part of his fatherly chastisement and discipline, he may well carry them through the day of judgment.

They have no grounds to presume that "everything will be fine." So the invitation is given. Seek the Lord. v.1

The English reading misses the emphasis of the Hebrew, where the focus is upon the word "undesirable." Or stubble. Literally, the verse reads, "gather yourselves together as stubble, the worthless and useless remains of hay left on the fields after harvesting. The stubble is of no value, and it just blows away in the wind.

The exhortation to Judah is rather striking. The prophet says to the wayward nation, "Gather together as stubble, recognizing your own worthlessness." Gather together as a nation of shame. And that message really wouldn't fly today, since in our enlightenment we would never want to say anything to hurt someone's self-esteem. We would never want anyone to consider his own worthlessness.

But the prophet of God had no such hesitation. The nation of Judah had become worthless and corrupt, of no more value than stubble, filled with shame and the atrocities of sin. And that exhortation ought to be the same for us today!

A. We must recognize our unworthiness before the day of judgment comes. Man, in his fallenness, has no claim upon God. His dignity and his pride must be crushed. His shame and his guilt must be exposed. Apart from Christ, we are, indeed worthless, words that are almost totally rejected in this day of self-esteem.

But they are used in Scripture. Rev. 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."

We must recognize that before the day of judgment comes. We are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. And there is such urgency in the prophet's exhortation, an urgency we ought to imitate. v.2 "Before the decree is issued."

Or, "before the appointed time arrives." And the day judgment is that appointed time. It is a decree of God that will take place, with absolute certainty. The day comes like chaff blowing in the wind. The day will be a day of fierce anger, literally burning anger. God's anger burns against sin, and will not be restrained forever.

The day of God's wrath will come. And it will come to you!!! Zephaniah is so personal and so direct!

In our day, we have lost that urgency regarding God's judgment because we have lost the sense of our own shamefulness. By and large, we have lost the sense of the shamefulness of sin. And so, we, too, must gather together as stubble before God's burning anger comes. And as we gather together recognizing our unworthiness,

B. We must wholeheartedly seek the Lord and his righteousness. That's the flip side of the awareness of our worthlessness. Popular psychology has really messed people up, and continues to do so. Popular psychology, dressed up in Christian clothing, has convinced people that feelings of worthlessness lead to self-despair which keep us from Christ. And so things are said like this, "Christ died for you because you were so valuable to him."

That's nonsense, if not blasphemous. Christ died for worthless sinners because of the infinite glory of his grace. And Christ makes us something that we weren't before. He makes us righteous. He makes us clean. He makes us his children.

The biblical idea is this--knowing that in ourselves we are but worthless stubble that blows in the wind, we are exhorted to seek after God with all our heart.

v.3a "Seek the Lord, all you meek (or humble!) of the land!"

You see, the humble seek the Lord, not the proud who are filled with a sense of their own worth. The humble.

Matt. 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Specifically, we are to seek righteousness and humility. v.3b

What we seek is his righteousness, and that begins, first and foremost, with the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is credited or imputed to us.

Rom. 3:21 "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Our righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus reckoned to us. That is what we must seek. That goes hand in hand with seeking humility, for we do not dare to come before God with a puffed up sense of our own greatness or goodness. We come before God as sinners, pleading for mercy, seeking his forgiveness.

That seeking is a ultimately a matter of the heart, for those who are truly humbled by their own sin long for the true experience of righteousness in their own lives. And that experience of righteousness is nothing more than law-keeping. It is impossible to wholeheartedly seek after the Lord unless that seeking is happily married to the true desire to live obedient lives in humble reliance upon God.

Again, v.3

That must be our highest ambition in life, for Jesus himself identifies the same quest.

Matt. 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

There are people in our day who seek after fire insurance. They seek a pardon so they won't have to pay for their own sins in an eternity of hell. They look to Jesus to be their savior, but refuse to seek him as their Lord. They do not seek his righteousness, nor, ultimately, his kingdom. They do not seek humility of soul, and when that day of final judgment comes, they will not be protected.

Don't miss the urgency in the prophet's words. This call to repentance is an urgent appeal to seek God, echoing Isaiah's words,

Isa. 55:6 "Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."

Then Zephaniah goes on to more fully describe the judgment upon all the nations, the devastation upon all the nations. And,

II. THIS CALL TO REPENTANCE COMES WITH AN AWARENESS OF GOD'S DEVASTATING JUDGMENT UPON ALL THE NATIONS. You can't read through these verses and miss that main idea. The judgment will be devastating!

Zephaniah describes what will happen to all the foreign nations, and he does so with an obvious intention--to lead the people of Judah back to repentance. The prophet says to Judah, "Consider what God will do to these nations." He will judge all the nations. How much more will he judge those who claim to be his own. Indeed, as Peter says,

1Pet. 4:17 "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"

God is thorough and consistent in his judgment, as we see Zephaniah describe the nations in all four directions. The point is pretty obvious and easy for Judah to see. God is judgment the nations to the west, to the east, to the south, and to the north. "Don't think for a minute that you will escape!"

He begins with,

A. Judgment to the west, ...mentioning four of the five cities of the decapolis, the cities of the Philistines. v.4

The judgment of God will be carried out promptly and easily, in broad daylight, at noontime. v.5

The Cherethite people are another description of the Philistines. The whole nation would be destroyed so that no Philistine would dwell any more in the land. The nation disappeared without a trace.

The result? v.6-7

The remnant of the house of Judah, the true people of God, the believing children of God, and ultimately, the church of God's elect, they shall inhabit the land. Indeed, in the early days of the church, the areas to the west of Judah nearly completely christianized, as the record of the book of Acts proves without question.

The land to the west would be taken from the enemies of God and given to the people of God.

Then, there would be,

B. Judgment to the east. The sins of the Moabites had been so notorious that their reputation had spread. Even to heaven. God had heard. v.8

And he would render justice. v.9

Moab and Ammon were the two sons of Lot, born of incest, and destined for shameful judgment. For 1200 years, they had lived on the rim of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they would experience the same dreadful judgment as was inflicted upon those cities for their despicable immorality.

Sodom and Gomorrah consistently represent the greatest terror possible in God's judgment, "a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever." The reference to the judgment described in Genesis is clear.

Gen. 19:24 "Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. 27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt."

What was the great sin of Moab and Ammon?

v.8b Literally, they "magnified themselves against their borders." They made themselves great. They boasted in arrogant pride of their position and their dominion. They exalted themselves and thereby tore others down.

The Lord identifies their pride. v.10

And he will punish them for their pride. v.11

Next comes, C. Judgment to the south. Cush, or Ethiopia. v.12

Interesting, the nation of Egypt is not mentioned here, perhaps because they had been so weakened at this point of history. And the announcement of this judgment is disproportionately brief. Just one verse.

Perhaps that would emphasize the instantaneous nature of God's judgment, the sword would devour them in an instant.

And finally, the fourth direction of the compass, completely encircling Judah, was the,

D. Judgment to the north. The nation of Assyria. v.13

Desolation would come to that great city that had dominated the world for almost 500 years, and it would become a desolate, dry wilderness. Instead of mansions for the rich, there would be animals resting and nesting. v.14

Then we learn about the cause of the judgment, their characteristic sins. v.15

As we've studied before in the prophets, Assyria is a good example of what America has become. The sins are very similar.

"This is a carefree city," or an ecstatic city. A rejoicing city. A city living for leisure and enjoyment, a city given over to the goal of personal pleasure and comfort, seeking the carefree life that many aspire to in our day also. Nineveh was a city which was always ready for a celebration, always prepared for a party, boisterous and loud in the pursuit of pleasure.

Just like our own country.

Then there was the proud security, the confident assurance of always living in safety. It had the self-satisfied security to consider itself invincible. It was a city of self-confidence and aggressive self-assertion.

Just like our own country.

Then, the heart of it all. The depths of their sin. v.15b "She said to herself, 'I am it, and there is none besides me.'"

That is a direct statement of blasphemy, for only God can say, "I am." Only God can claim self-existence. Only the creator can say "there is no other like me."

The Lord answers such blasphemous pride. v.15c "How has she become a desolation, A place for beasts to lie down!"

God would allow no one else to assume his position. So the place that was once the centre of pride and glory became nothing more than a few mounds and monuments in a wilderness. So fickle is earthly glory, so uncertain her rewards, and so exact and true the vengeance of God.

All of that is the basis for the prophet's call to repentance. All of that great and terrible description of God's devastating judgment is to make God's people in Judah aware of it, and in there awareness of judgment, to come to repentance.

The passage can be used in application today the very same way. The call to repentance is the urgent appeal to seek God in order to escape his wrath. v.3

That same idea is put so clearly in the language of the NT: 2Pet. 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."

Blessed are those who heed this call to repentance. The book of Revelation, and all of Scripture, ends with a very similar call to repentance within the context of the awareness of God's judgment. Jesus himself says,

Rev. 22:7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

Further, he says, Rev. 22:10 "And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still." 12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

People of God, the invitation of the gospel is given with the awareness of God's judgment. Thus this urgent appeal to seek God. Heed this urgent call to repentance. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.

Turn away from your sins, knowing that God will judge those who refuse. And turn toward Christ in faith. As you worship tonight, come to God with the genuine humility of deep repentance.

v.3 "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."

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