Well, this evening our confessional lesson comes from the Westminster. We're gonna look at paragraphs one and two of chapter 14 on saving faith. You can find that on page 927 in the back of your hymnal. 927. 927, chapter 14 of saving faith. I'm gonna read those first two paragraphs. The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments and prayer, it is increased and strengthened. By this faith, a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word, for the authority of God himself speaks therein and acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains, yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life and that which is to come. But the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of grace. So what does saving faith look like? Obviously, that's not simply an abstract question. It's one of the most profoundly practical questions that can be asked and one that deserves the utmost consideration because the way you answer that question has eternal consequences. So I want to touch on a couple of the key points from our confession. Saving faith is a grace of God. Saving faith is not the product of a person who has a naturally religious kind of disposition. It isn't something we muster up through a lot of intestinal fortitude. It is God's gift to His people. The oft-quoted Ephesians 2.8 makes that crystal clear. For by grace you've been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." What's the gift of God? Faith. Now, the second thing our confession addresses is the ordinary means that God uses to engender and strengthen the faith in the – to strengthen faith in the life of a Christian. In other words, how does God create faith in us? And ordinarily, the chief means is the ministry of God's Word. Romans 10 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Then we're reminded by the Westminster that our faith is grown, strengthened, and increased through the Word, prayers, and sacraments. In other words, the means of grace. Our confession also gives us some of the evidences. that has to exist where there's a true and genuine faith. The Christian will believe the Bible is true and will submit to its authority. The true Christian will genuinely seek to live his life according to Scripture. He'll soberly hear the warnings of the Bible. He'll trust in the promises of the gospel, both the promises that involve this life and the life to come. And of course, preeminently, the Christian believes the gospel and rests solely upon Jesus Christ for salvation. And he trusts that Jesus Christ accomplishes the totality of their salvation. In Hebrews 7.25, Jesus is presented as our perfect high priest. It tells us there, he is able to save to the uttermost. those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." So genuine faith, trust that Jesus is the alpha and the omega of our salvation, that our salvation has been accomplished from A to Z. Now, I want to take just a moment and zero in on the phrase that saving faith will tremble at the threatenings of Scripture. The Puritans understood God's promises and God's threatenings to be the guardrails of the Christian life. The threatenings keep us on the narrow path with the warnings of judgment. The promises keep us on the narrow path, but we have encouragement and hope. But both of those are evangelical, and both function as graces to the people of God. There's a great quote from Stephen Charnock that captures this, and I want to read that to you, but I have to tell you the language is a bit dated, so this is something of a… A chip bird paraphrase, but I think you'll appreciate his language. He writes, at least he writes as I paraphrase, what is the purpose of God's threatenings if not to stir our fears so that our hearts may be moved toward desire and love for his promises? His threatenings are not merely the thunderclaps of his justice, but the persuasive voice of his mercy, seeking to rescue us from the misery of his coming wrath. In his kindness, he shakes us with warnings so that his justice does not have to strike us with judgment. His goal is never destruction for his people, but transformation. He longs for repentance, not ruin. God's threatenings are not empty threats, but earnest pleas. Why will you die, O house of Israel? They're like the loud call of a merciful officer warning a fugitive to flee before judgment arrives. He never brings his justice to crush people without first extending his kindness to draw them in. Every vivid description of hell's horrors and every glorious vision of heaven's joys are meant to persuade us. unto eternal life. Even in the fierce roar of his threatenings, the sweetness of his goodness can be found. Such is the relentless grace of God, doing everything possible to make sinners into citizens of heaven. The reason I wanted to highlight this is this evening as we return to our study in Zephaniah, the threatenings that are associated with the day of the Lord are terrifying. But those threats culminate with an offer of mercy to those who repent. In other words, both the threatenings and the promise are for the salvation of His people and for the judgment of those who refuse his mercies. Well, let's continue praising the Lord, standing to sing number 436. 436, my faith has found a resting place. Well, let me ask you to open up your copy of scripture to Zephaniah. We're going to read from chapter 1 and verse 14, down through chapter 2 and verse 3. Zephaniah 1, beginning in verse 14. This is the true word of God. The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter, there the mighty men shall cry out. 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, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men and they shall walk like blind men because they've sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like refuse. 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. Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. Before the decree is issued or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you, seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth who have upheld his justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you'll be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Well, there ends the reading of God's holy and inspired word. May it bless it to our hearts this evening. Well, dearest congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. A cursory reading of this short minor prophet makes it clear that one of the main themes of Zephaniah is the day of the Lord. In the verses we just read, the word day is found 13 times, and it's always describing the day of the Lord. We've learned that the day of the Lord is a day of visitation. It's a day when God breaks into the created order. to bring about judgment and salvation, to execute covenant curses and secure covenant blessings for His people. In verses 4 through 6 of chapter 1. We get the various reasons for God's judgment that all really center on a variety of forms of idolatry. Judah worshiped false gods, and they worshiped the true God falsely. And that's preeminent in God's judgment. God wants to be, God demands to be worshiped rightly. Then in verses 7 through 13, which we looked at on the previous Lord's Day, it focuses on who's going to be judged. There's no class of people in Judah who will be excluded from the judgment on the day of the Lord. And again, it's initially talking about what will happen when Babylon rushes in on the land and destroys them. All of Judah will be sacked. Now this evening, we pick up at verse 14, and we're gonna see the rest of this chapter actually describes judgment. It explains what it will be like, what it will look like, what it will feel like, what the experience will be for these folks. And then as you turn the chapter to chapter 2, the first three verses, offer a glimmer of mercy through repentance." Again, these verses that we just read, they are unrelentingly fierce in the way they present God's judgment. One writer put it this way. The prophet now launches into a tirade of doom, just as the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony hammer out their menacing sound all the way through its first movement. So that day thunders through this section of Zephaniah's prophecy with horrendous impact. The first thing we see in our text is that the day of the Lord is imminent, and it's going to be utterly terrifying to even the bravest men in Judah. Glantz there at verse 14. The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out. Now you'll recall that Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of godly King Josiah. He had instituted some major reforms in Judah. And in 2 Kings 22, we learned that Josiah's heart was so humble before the Lord that God actually put a hold on Judah's judgment to forestall his judgment till after Josiah died. so that this godly king wouldn't have to be a witness to the destruction of Judah at the hand of the Babylonians. The nation basically got a stay of judgment for about 36 years. But Zephaniah steps on the scene and he reminds the people that great day is near and it's coming quickly. And notice it says, the mighty men shall cry out. The Hebrew word for mighty men is giboreem, giboreem. It's the same word that's used to describe David's mighty men. So what's being pictured in Zephaniah are fierce, brave, accomplished warriors, but on the day of the Lord, all they're going to be able to do is shriek out bitter cries. Their strength will be gone, their courage will be sapped, and all they're capable of doing is crying out in abject terror. When Babylon descends on the southern kingdom, Judah's greatest warriors will be irrelevant. There'll be no battle cries, just cries of desperation. And you're getting a little picture that even the mightiest of soldiers can't hold back the judgment that God's decreed. And while this is a judgment that we want to first and rightly apply to Babylon, what we're reading here also anticipates God's final judgment, that day when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. And that'll be a day when all men who are outside of Christ, from every walk of life, will have nothing they can do but to cry out to the creation in hopes it might consume them and protect them from the wrath of the Lamb. Listen to how John describes that situation in Revelation 6, verses 15 through 17. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the mighty men, every slave, every free man hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" So the foundation has been laid. The day is coming, and it's coming soon. And whenever you read this in the Bible, whether it's an Old Testament prophet like Amos speaking about Israel or Zephaniah speaking about Judah or when the Lord Jesus is prophesying about His coming and saying it's near, these are to impress upon God's people to live with a sense of urgency because we don't know when He's coming. Well, in verses 15 and 16, we get something like bullet points on the day of the Lord, terrifying bullet points on the day of the Lord, or what one writer called a catalog of frightful characteristics that describe that day. And I'm just going to briefly walk through them. So first, that day, it's a day of wrath, a day of wrath. Remember that God's wrath isn't an emotional outburst. God's wrath is the settled, unwavering indignation of a holy God against all that is opposed to his righteousness. Judah will taste something of that ferocity as the Lord uses Babylon to be a rod of punishment and a source of his wrath. But again, this ought to make us think about a greater day, that consummating day of the Lord, when the warrior king, Jesus, appears to exercise justice. When He comes, no sin will be overlooked, no transgression will be ignored, and what will happen when He appears is a full display of His justice, and His justice will necessarily result in wrath on sin. And those alive will be crying out, the great day of His wrath has come. Who is able to stand? That's a rhetorical question. No one. No one will stand outside of Christ. Well, next we're told it will be a day of trouble and distress. And this reminds us that God's judgments aren't merely physical and external. They will pierce the heart. Not only will there be no physical comfort, there's going to be no psychological comfort when He appears. That those who've lived in rebellion will feel the weight of their guilt pressing down on them, and they will have an immediate knowledge that there's no way to escape. Like a man caught in a net struggling in vain, so will the wicked find themselves entrapped by their sin. Listen how Jesus describes the day of his return. in Luke 21, 26, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming in the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Fainting with fear, foreboding, that's the internal turmoil associated with God's judgment. Then we see it's going to be a day of devastation and desolation, just as there'll be no comfort within. So with the sight of devastation that's meted out on the land before their eyes, there'll be no comforts to be gleaned from looking at their surroundings. The foundations on which men will have built their confidence apart from any consideration of God, their wealth, their power, their achievements, they will crumble like sand before the judgment of the Lord. Again, Jerusalem is going to be raised by the Babylonians. And eventually, the creation will be raised when Christ returns. It'll be a day of darkness and gloominess. This is the withdrawal of God's favor, the removal of His light. Just as the land of Egypt was covered with a thick darkness before the Exodus, those who are condemned at the coming of the Lord, they're going to find themselves plunged into a spiritual night. And the gloom here indicates that there will be an utter loss of hope. Again, this will certainly be experienced when Nebuchadnezzar crushes Jerusalem, but the real and utter hopelessness will be that moment when people are confronted with the dreadful prospect of eternal separation from God. And they come to the realization in that moment that without God, without the happy presence of God, there is no light, there is no happiness, there is no joy, there is no hope. Not the happiest message I've ever preached. And then finally, verse 16 wraps up with this. It'll be a day of trumpet and alarm against the forfeited cities and against the high towers." So this is the sound of war, the announcement of impending destruction. When the Babylonian war horns are sounded, not even the most fortified parts of Jerusalem are going to be able to withstand her siege. But once again. This anticipates a greater battle, a final confrontation between the creator and his rebellious creation. The trumpet will sound, not as a call to human armies, but as a proclamation that the divine king has come to execute judgment. Those who have ignored his call to repentance We'll find no place to hide. This gives us just a quick sense of the dreadful day of the Lord. And in many ways, these are circumstances and situations outside of our humanity. When we move to verses 17 and 18, the judgment is really centered on humanity, who on the day of the Lord will be proved to be the objects of his wrath. The prophet makes it clear that God's judgment will be comprehensive and devastating. Look here at verse 17. I'll bring distress upon men. and they shall walk like blind men because they've sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like dust and their flesh like refuse. So again, as we've seen so far, these verses are gonna have a dual fulfillment. They not only foreshadow the final judgment, but also describe the impending destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Babylon. When it says they shall walk like blind men, it suggests that there's gonna be confusion, helplessness. They're gonna grope around wishing they could find a way of an escape, all the while knowing it's impossible. Again, this blindness isn't merely physical but spiritual. It's a state of being utterly lost and no way to find anything that resembles salvation. And incidentally, this is a covenant curse that's described very clearly in Deuteronomy 28, verses 28 and 29. Again, this is a covenant curse for those who break God's covenant. This is what Moses said the people would experience. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart, and you shall grope at noonday as a blind man gropes in darkness. You shall not prosper in your ways. You shall only be oppressed and plundered continually, and no one will save you. What the Babylonians would do during their siege of Jerusalem is what they deserved for breaking covenant. The people of Judah are left desperate, wandering in terror, unable to escape the fate that's been decreed on them. I look there again at the graphic way Zephaniah describes their fate. Their blood shall be poured out like dust. and their flesh like refuse." So when Jerusalem is raised by Nebuchadnezzar, blood will be shed so profusely that it is as though it is just as worthless as dust. The dignity of human life is going to be trampled underfoot as streets are filled with corpses. And this devastation is only a grim foreshadowing of the final judgment when those who have rejected God will face their eternal ruin. Verse 18 serves to go on and intensify the warning 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'll make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. Again, these verses are speaking to the false security that wealth provides. We actually got a glimpse of that last week. There are those who think financial resources will in some way protect them. This is something that we see right now evolving in our billionaire class, isn't it? Those of you who are familiar with what's going on in the realm of transhumanism, what you basically have are billionaires trying to find ways where they can download the information in their brain into a computer and then their personality, they're hoping, can be put in a body that's technologically sophisticated and won't die and won't age. They won't be successful. They won't be successful, right? Because it's appointed unto a man to die once, and after this, the judgment. But that's a big pursuit. I've got enough money. I ought to be able to live forever. It's likely. that the upper crust of Jerusalem assumed if Babylon invaded, their nobles, their wealthy individuals could use their riches to buy protection or perhaps curry favor. However, no amount of silver or gold could bribe Babylonian soldiers or alter God's decree of judgment. This historical truth reflects a spiritual reality, and the final judgment No earthly treasure will suffice to ransom a soul from divine wrath. Proverbs 11, 14 puts it this way, riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. And there's an interesting phrase there that speaks of the fire of his jealousy. And this is a reflection of God's holy passion for His own glory and righteousness. And it's a passion for His glory and righteousness that will execute justice. This is an aspect of God's character that we sometimes overlook, but God is glorified when His justice is meted out on sinners, because His perfect justice magnifies His wonder and glory. Again, this, of course, is not human jealousy. This is a holy and divine zeal. Yahweh is a consuming fire, and He's going to purge the land of corruption, the entirety of the southern kingdom, and ultimately, He will be a consuming fire that consumes the sin-stained corruption that exists throughout His creation. Listen how the apostle Peter describes this in 2 Peter 3.7, by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. And then finally, glance there at that last part. of verse 18 again, for he will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. This sort of provides us something of a solemn conclusion. The judgment's gonna be swift, decisive, and once it begins, there'll be no second chances on that day. Again, this is an urgent reminder to pursue the Lord while He can be found. Jerusalem is not going to be able to delay their fate once Babylon arrives, and there'll be no delays when the final day of the Lord comes. Chapter 1 ends with terror. with the destruction of a people that God had promised things to and they had rebuffed Him. And there's a violence and a dreadfulness that's breathtaking. But after this terrifying vision of judgment, Zephaniah offers a plea for repentance there in the first three verses of chapter 2. He says, gather yourselves together. Yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. You see, if Judah is to experience any repentance, She's gonna need to humble herself. And the language here is actually meant to facilitate her humility. The Hebrew word that's used here for gather is a word that usually has to do with gathering stubble, like the stubble that they used in Egypt to make bricks or the stubble you would pick up to create a fire. And it's basically the stubble that is Judah is something like chaff. It's that worthless byproduct of the threshing process. And that's an apt picture of their spiritual condition. Gather yourself because you're about as worthy as chaff. And notice they're called, oh undesirable nation. Yahweh's not calling them Judah. He's not calling them my people. He's not calling them Israel. He's not calling them anything that would indicate their objects have his favor. He's calling them a nation. He's putting them in the same category as a Gentile. And they're undesirable. And it's hard for us to understand just what a shocking designation this would have been for a Jew to hear. But they've become corrupt, morally bankrupt, and are rejected by God. And yet, despite their waywardness, Zephaniah extends a gracious invitation. Even in the face of impending judgment, there remains an opportunity to turn to the Lord. Verse 2 continues, before the decree is issued or the day passes like chaff, before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. Again, this is a warning of urgency. The call to repentance is not something that can be postponed. The decree of judgment has not been executed, but it's coming, it's near, and it's getting nearer every moment. Again, the image you hear of Chaff is significant. Just as the wind sort of swiftly carries away those worthless husks from the grain, so too will the unrepentant be swept away in the fury of the Lord's wrath. What do you do with this knowledge? The wrath is coming. What do you do with this? Well, what we find in verse three is the shock of the gospel. Think about this for a moment before we get there. If you know a fierce enemy, for whom you have no ability to defend yourself is coming, and he will find you, and there is no place to hide. How do you respond to that? You run from him. You do everything in your power to get away from him. But look what the gospel teaches us, verse 3. you run to the Lord of wrath. Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you'll be hidden in the day of the Lord's wrath. Isn't that amazing? It's not, run from the Lord, He's coming. It's run to the Lord because He's forgiving. He's merciful. Seek the Lord. Now that's a command to pursue God with sincerity and devotion. And it's more than a superficial acknowledgement. The seeking here, it's one that would require genuine repentance and a turning from sin. All you meek of the earth. This is a contrast to the proud and rebellious disposition that characterized Judah for the last several hundred years. The meek are those who submit to God's authority. demonstrating humility, dependence upon Him, who have upheld His justice, right? True repentance is evidenced in righteous living, seeking the Lord. It's not merely an internal posture, but it's displayed in the pursuit of justice and holiness. Seek righteousness, seek humility. This is a heart of genuine repentance. It may be that you'll be hidden, in the day of the Lord's anger, a glimmer of hope. The phrase it may be doesn't suggest doubt in God's mercy, but rather reinforces the earnest need for seeking. And those who repent we'll find refuge in the Lord. Very much like Noah was preserved in the ark and Israel was shielded under the blood of the Passover lamb. The wrath of God is coming. It's nearer now than it was when we began this sermon. How do you escape the wrath? You don't run from God. You flee to Christ. Listen to how the Apostle Paul lays this out in 1 Thessalonians 1, verses 9 and 10. For they themselves, speaking of the church, declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." The gospel really turns our expectations upside down. Because instead of running from God, who's angry at sin, We run to Christ and we find mercy and we find salvation and he delivers us from the wrath to come. That's the gospel. May the Lord press that into our hearts this evening. Amen. Well, I will give you a moment to ask any questions or if you have any comments or In Ezekiel 7, there's a lot of verses, like there's verse 14, the beginning of verse 14 says, they have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready, but no one goes to battle for my wrath is all their multitude. And then it says, those who survive will escape and be on the mountains. And then it says- Is that Ezekiel 7 you're saying? Yeah, that's really describing a lot of the same things. It's the same. Yeah. The same prophecy. Yeah. Yes, yes, yeah. He's just closer to it, right? So Ezekiel was after Zephaniah. Absolutely. Zephaniah was during the reign of Josiah. Ezekiel is, as the people are being carried, in fact, Ezekiel will be carried off into Babylonian captivity. What was the time between Zephaniah and Ezekiel? Zephaniah and Ezekiel. Well, you're looking from the death of Josiah to the Babylonian captivity, you're looking at about 35 years. Is there a possibility that Ezekiel and Zephaniah could have known each other? Yes. I can't think of, I don't know if anybody else can, I can't think of a reference that indicates that, but it's possible. You know, it's, you got to remember, Israel as a land is not that big the southern kingdom was really small and you get into the area around Jerusalem It's a pretty tiny area. It's not like America, you know, and so it's yeah, but I don't know that They both were kind of upper crust from upper crust family. So they may have but I don't know anything else Yeah, that's that that's really a really good helpful parallel account and and yeah, so I Father, we do thank you for this evening. We're thankful for your Word. Again, as we heard in the confessional lesson, part of saving faith is responding to the threatenings of the Lord. Help us, O God, as we've heard those this evening, to flee to Christ, to cling to Him, to be unreserved in embracing Him and loving Him and walking with Him. And we might know that on that great day, we are, without a doubt, those who have escaped the wrath to come. And we've not simply escaped the wrath to come, but we've been brought into a kingdom of joy and peace and hope. May that fill us with happiness as we go from here this evening, and to help us delight in our walk with the Lord Jesus, in whose name we pray, amen. Let me ask you to stand, dear ones, to receive the Lord's benediction. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. And all of God's people said, amen.