Chart, Message and Outline of Zephaniah

Message of Zephaniah

A great and terrible Day of the Lord is coming soon in which all nations will be judged. Turn away from sin and seek the Lord now so you will receive grace, protection and peace instead of destruction.

The Day of the LORD is coming soon! Are you ready?

Outline of Zephaniah

Repent now because total and terrible judgment is coming soon.  1:1-2:3

• Judgment will be complete and will totally wipe out all creation. 1:1-3
• Judgment will divide between God’s true people and those who only call themselves God’s people.
• God’s true people (invited to the banquet) are the silent and consecrated.  7
• Silent: They have recognized God’s authority and submitted to Him.
• Consecrated: They have trusted in God’s mercy, asked for forgiveness and are made holy.
• False believers (the sacrifice) have no heart relationship with God. 6b, 4-13
• Rebels. They reject God and worship someone else. Idolatry  4
• Compromisers. They try to worship the true God and other gods at the same time. 5, 9
• Defectors: They give up following God when it gets hard or too demanding. 6
• Worldly: They choose money and power over God.  8, 10-11.
• Indifferent: They do not take into account the spiritual. 12-13
• The judgment will be a terrible military conflict which is coming soon and unexpectedly. 14-18
• Usually God’s judgment is a removal of his protection so that the full consequences of sin are experienced.
• Repent now because total and terrible judgment is coming soon.  1:1-2:3
• We need to gather as a group (church, nation) to repent. 1-2
• We need to personally seek relationship with the LORD.  3
• Humility: You must recognize your own inability and need to trust God.
• Obedience: Submit to God’s plan for your life and prove it by your actions.
• Righteousness: Recognize that God’s standards are right and commit to them.

Small days of the LORD warn of the danger of rebellion & hypocrisy 2:4-3:7

• God’s judgment on Philistia, Moab, Ethiopia and Assyria totally destroyed them and they disappeared from the face of the earth.  2:4-15
• Judgment of the world should promote self-examination, not smugness, in God’s people. 3:1-7
• Those nations surrounded Judah. The main judgment will hit God’s sinning people. 3:1
• God’s presence in a place means a higher standard of judgment for that place 5
• We are responsible to draw near to God when He gives an opportunity. 3:2

Be ready for the Day of the LORD so that God will relate to you with gracious blessing instead of judgment. 3:8-20

• Be ready because the Day of the LORD is coming.
• Wait: Have a trusting, patient, hopeful attitude as you faithfully do what God has called you to do right now. 3:8a
• If you are not ready God will deal with you in judgment. 3:8b, 10-11
• No one will get away with sin. It will all be punished. 8b
• The proud, the greedy and the self-sufficient will be wiped out. 11
• It is much better to receive grace and  have God relate to you based on blessing. .
• He removes sin, guilt, fear, punishment from those who humbly trust and seek Him. 12-15
• He brings people together in fellowship. Babel is reversed in Christ. 9
• He gives people the ability to serve and worship Him.  10
• God your Savior is happy to have a loving, protecting relationship with you. 17-20
• Relationship with God should be full of joy and fulfillment not a drudgery. If it is a drudgery, something is wrong!