A Proud Man/Church vs. a Humble Man/Church

How can you tell the difference?

	The Proud Person / Church	The Humble Person / Church
1	It's all about ___.	It's all about _____ and ________.
2	Get's joy from promoting ______.	Gets joy from promoting _________.
3	Gets ______ and ____________ when confronted.	Is ________ and ___________ when confronted.
4	Loves to _______ / _________.	Loves to _________ / ________.
5	_______ about what they know.	_______ about what they don't know.
6	_______ others.	Takes _____________.
7	Compares self to ________.	Compares self to ______.
8	"Lord, change _______."	"Lord, change _____."
9	_______ ___ sin.	________ ____________ sin.
10	Concerned with _______ / ______________.	Concerned with _______ / ____________.

God Preserves the Meek and Humble; God Removes the Arrogant (Zephaniah 3:8-20)

Previous post: Do I know God's heart that is broken to pieces because of the perishing? (Zeph 2:3; Luke 20:13)

Judgment

God promises that a day of judgment will come. This is not a threat but a fact and a certainty, which all mankind should humbly consider. God will gather the nations, not for blessing (Isa 30:18), but for his coming judgment (Zeph 3:8). Though this arrogant and rebellious generation loathes and despises this, God states plainly, "I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them—all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger" (Zeph 3:8). But God's retributive acts are always redemptive, for God will save his remnant among the meek and humble (Zech 3:12,18-20). God intends that the nations turn to him (Zeph 3:9,10), including his own people (Zeph 3:11-13). This will cause rejoicing (Zeph 3:14-17), not least because God alone has accomplished salvation (Zeph 3:18-20). God is both God the Judge and God the Gracious

Salvation

The promise of salvation can only be accomplished by God: "I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid" (Zeph 3:12-13). Salvation, which is always undeserved, will always lead to rejoicing (Zeph 3:14-16). This is only possible because "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing" (Zeph 3:17).

The only reasonable way to live: Wait, not for a better life now, but wait for the day of salvation, which will come for the remnant of God.

The promise of God: "I will leave within you the meek and humble" (Zech 3:12) and "I will remove from you your arrogant boasters" (Zech 3:11).

Who our God is: "The LORD your God is ... the Mighty Warrior who saves... take(s) great delight in you; ... rejoice(s) over you with singing" (Zeph 3:17).

To help remember an overview of this Minor Prophet Zephaniah, check out this chart again.

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Seek The Lord, All You Humble of the Land (Zephaniah 2:1-3:8)

Previous post: Does complacency weigh heavily upon your soul? (Zeph 1:12)

As Zeph 1:1-18 declares God's wrath on Judah, Zeph 2:1-15 makes known God's wrath on the nations. See the chart of the book of Zephaniah.

Repentance is Still Possible (Zeph 1:1-3)

While sin is a universal human problem, God still shows grace to those who repent. God calls his own people to "gather together" though they were a shameless (ESV), shameful (NIV) nation (Zeph 2:1), since their actions contradicted their profession of piety. This call to hear severe warnings (Isa 34:1; Jer 4:5; Joel 2:15,16;3:11) is not a threat but an act of divine mercy and grace because they are designed to elicit repentance before it is too late (Zeph 2:2). This is God's plea: "Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger" (Zeph 2:3). Though the nation is apostate there are a few who rely on God rather than on themselves. They are the "humble and lowly" (Zeph 3:12; Matt 5:3). They realize their desperate need to turn beyond themselves for help. God expresses his grace and sovereignty with the word "perhaps." God is like the landowner who loves his tenants after they had killed his prior servants, saying, "I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him" (Luke 20:13; Mark 12:6).

The Nations, Including Judah, Warned (Zeph 2:4-3:8)

As in Amos's prophecy (Amos 1:3-2:3), the judgment prophecy first focuses on Israel's neighbors and enemies--Philistines, Moab and Amnon, Assyria--(Zeph 2:4-7,8-11,12-15), whom Judah would have heartily joined in condemning. Only then do the people of Judah feel the focus turning on themselves (Zeph 3:1-7), being just as sinful before the same just God. God's people cannot think that they will emerge unscathed on the day of the Lord. If they sin (Zeph 3:1-4) and are shameless (Zeph 3:5), they are also held accountable, especially if they lack repentance (Zeph 3:6,7).

Practical Application: In my sin, I'm totally completely helpless. Lord, have mercy. Jesus is all I need, and Jesus is all I want.

God's broken heart: "Perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger" (Zeph 2:3). "I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him" (Luke 20:13).

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Who Are The Ones God Looks On With Favor? (Isaiah 66)

Pictorial Overview: Chart of the Book of Isaiah.

Previous post: What do you really want? What is your ultimate hope? (Isa 65:17; 40:31)

Isa 66:1-24 explains that though the worship of God is violated now, in the future falsehood and hypocrisy will be judged, true worship will spread, and God will be honored forever. True worship will last forever.

God Hates Religious Hypocrisy (Isa 66:1-6)

God is greater than the institutions he has authorized (Isa 66:1), and he will never be manipulated by them. Yet God looks with favor on "those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at (his) word" (Isa 66:2). God despises proper outward worship without a trembling heart before him; it's as bad as outright sin (Isa 66:3,4). Such false worshipers self-righteously despise true worshipers (Isa 66:5). God will judge and repay them as they deserve (Isa 66:6).

The Certainty of Future Blessing (Isa 66:7-14)

Our doubts cause us to fear that God will not prove faithful to all his promises to his helpless people (Isa 66:7-9). But the certainty of future blessing calls for joy in the present (Isa 66:10-14); this underscores the comfort proclaimed to his people who were exiled in Babylon (Isa 40:1).

Fiery Judgment Contrasts God's Declaration of His Glory Worldwide (Isa 66:15-17; 18-24)

Eternal punishment via the final judgment by fire is promised to the religious hypocrites and the rebellious (Isa 66:15-17), while the time will come for God to declare his own glory through his chosen faithful remnant (Isa 66:18-20), and the "unclean" Gentiles will carry out the calling of "holy" Israel (Isa 66:21). Despite his people's rebellion and sins (Isa 1:2,3), God would renew the endless worship of his new people (Isa 66:23,23). God's final unending judgment is a sharp and terrifying contrast to the apparent success of the wicked in this present life. Yet it is a comforting assurance that God will judge the wicked and wickedness forever (Isa 66:24).

Practical Application: The gospel is good news to the contrite but bad news to the hypocrites and the rebellious.

How should one live?: With a humble contrite heart that trembles at God's word (Isa 66:2).

What's next? Zephaniah 1:1-3:20.

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