Here’s the audio and notes for my sermon “Wonderful Redemption” from Zephaniah 3:9-20 preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship.
Zeph 3:9-20 “WONDERFUL Redemption”
INTRO: Wrote Song for proposal; Song expressed the depth of love & emotion; Our God SINGS over us!!
M.I.: God’s redemption is more wonderful than we imagine AND more relevant than we realize.
CONTEXT: Judah, 620 B.C., time of a great compromise and faithlessness
-God used king Josiah to bring about some reforms and spoke through the prophet Zephaniah
-ZEPH 1: WAKE UP AND WATCH OUT—God is angry and His wrath is coming
-ZEPH 2: WRATH IS COMING, but ALSO REDEMPTION
-ZEPH 3:9-20: Glorious Redemption is Promised.
TODAY: God’s redemption is more wonderful than we imagine AND more relevant than we realize.
1. God’s REDEMPTION is more wonderful than we imagine. 2. God’s REDEMPTION is more relevant than we realize.
I. God’s Redemptions is more wonderful than we imagine
What we find here—God’s redemption of His people—is MORE wonderful than we imagine. It is breathtaking…
A. Zephaniah Spoke of a FUTURE redemption. NOTE: the recurring phrase “at that time… on that day”=5 times in our passage
-God was not only going to judge sin, He was going to redeem those who would seek Him and trust Him.
1. A FUTURE Conversion of the nations (9-10)
Soccer clinic coach ‘Converted to soccer’ (from dislike to love).
-Biblical Conversion=CHANGE from spiritual death and estrangement from God to spiritual life and closeness to God.
-A CONVERSION: call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord
-CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES! “the people…all of them…”
-Gentiles: “beyond the river of Cush”
REDEMPTION PROMISED: God planned to bring about a conversion of the Gentile peoples
-It was always God plan to save a people made up of Jews and Gentiles.
-For believer in 620 B.C. àHow would this happen!?
2. A FUTURE Cleansing of God’s People (11-13)
Car wash…Human wash!àGod promised to cleanse his people from their sins and take away their shame!
-PURIFYING (11)
-TRANSFORMING (12-13)
REDEMPTION PROMISED: Though there was great wickedness in Judah, God was going to bring about a great change in His people, taking away their sin and making them holy.
–GRACE! This is God’s heart: to save his people from their sins and make them pure.
–Contrary to culture: our greatest problem is our sin, and we need to have that dealt with. God promised to do it here.
3. A FUTURE Removal of Judgment (14-18)
Zephaniah 1 we saw that because of the great wickedness of Judah, God’s wrath and judgement were coming.
-Because God is love, He has wrath.
-Here we see the grace and mercy of God removing judgment from His people.-FIRST, Invitation to rejoice in God (14)
-JUDGMENTS TAKEN AWAY! (15a)
-God, the King, in their midst (15b)
-Strengthening presence of God (16)
-A God who REJOICES over His people and takes great pleasure in them (17-18)
REDEMPTION PROMISED: Here we see a promise of some future grace shown to God’s people, a people who heard the judgment of God on sin, but now hear of His grace.
-These are extraordinary promises from a God who is extraordinarily gracious and merciful to sinners.
-The God of Scripture is a God of AMAZING GRACE.
4. A FUTURE Deliverance from Enemies (19)
The people of God are promised a deliverance from their enemies.
-Deliverance promised (19a)
-Deliverance for weak physically (19b)
-Deliverance from shame (19c)
REDEMPTION PROMISED: The Israelites had enemies all around—‘hands too strong for them’ (Jer 31:11)—but experience a future deliverance by God from their oppressors
-God was mightier than all their enemies and one day “at that time” would deliver them.
5. A FUTURE Gathering in (20)
The book ends with a promise of God gathering His people in and restoring their fortunes
-Gathered in (20a)
-Particularly relevant later after the exile in 587 B.C.
-Transformed, glorious people (20b)
A GLORIOUS REDEMPTION PROMISED: The people of Judah were about to be taken into exile and scattered, like the North Kingdom 100 years earlier. But here was a promise of God gathering them all back in.
*SUMMARY: 5 promises of redemption: Conversion, Cleansing, Judgment Removed, Enemies Defeated, Gathered in.
-The REDEMPTION OF GOD IS MORE WONDERFUL THAN WE IMAGINE!
**QUESTION: How would they be fulfilled???
B. The REDEMPTION ZEPHANIAH PROPHESIED FINDS ITS FULFILLMENT IN CHRIST!
*2 Cor 1:20 ‘All the promises of God find their Yes in him’ à The NT teaches us how to interpret and understand the prophesy of the OT.
1. Conversion of the Nations through Christ
ALREADY: Matt 28:18-20; Acts; Church History
NOT YET: Revelation 5:9-10
APPLIED: We must be born again, and through Christ we might be CONVERTED TO GOD
-We rejoice in God saving people of all different nations: even in our church (Brazil, Ukraine, India, Britain)
2. Cleansing of God’s People through Christ
ALREADY: John 1:29
NOT YET: Revelation 21:1-2
APPLIED: 1 Cor 6:11. Christ has taken away all our sin and washed us clean.
3. Judgment taken away through Christ
ALREADY: Rom 8:1; John 1:14 (incarnation)
NOT YET: We still struggle with sin
APPLIED: The God of Zephaniah 3:17 rejoices over us NOW!
–This is the “John 3:16” of the OT.
-Hear each phrase applied to you: ‘rejoices over you with gladness;
-God REJOICING with gladness over you!
quiets you with his love;
-God quietening your troubled heart
exults over you with loud singing’
-God SINGING over us!
-Power of song to express our hearts
-My songs: Rach, kids.
-MOST of us do not see this truth and desperately need to hear and believe this truth
–APP: MEMORIZE Zeph 3:17 and pray over it everyday until your heart begins to believe it.
4. Enemies Defeated through Christ
ALREADY: 1 Cor 15:55
NOT YET: Await the final judgment
APPLIED: Our greatest enemies (sin, Satan, death) have been defeated by Christ
5. Gathered In through Christ
ALREADY: John 1:12-13
NOT YET: Consummation
APPLIED: You and I are part of the family of God!
*CONCLUSION: God’s redemption of us is more wonderful than we imagine and finds its fulfillment in Christ!
2. The Redemption of God is more relevant than we realize.
UNBELIEVER: This wonderful redemption of the gospel is what you desperately need is and is freely offered to you in Christ.
1 NEED: Conversion (to come back to God); Cleansing (to be washed cleaned by God from all your sins); Judgment removed (to be forgiven of your sin and promised eternal life); Enemies defeated (victory over Satan, sin, and death), Gathered in (to be part of the forever family of God)
2 FREELY OFFERED! It is FREE GIFT from God! Believe on Christ to receive it.
BELIEVER: This wonderful redemption is more relevant to you than you realize. It can change your everyday experience.
1 Rejoice that God converted you and brought to Himself—let that orient your day GOD-CENTERED.
2. See that Jesus washed you clean from all your sin; 3 Rejoice that have you no condemnation and a God who sings over you!
4 Rest in the fact that your greatest enemies have been defeated; 5 Hope in return of Christ with new heavens and new earth
END: God’s redemption of us is more wonderful than we imagine AND more relevant than we realize.
