1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:03,000 But know this, you are not just safe. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:08,200 And Jesus safe from tyranny. He has loved you. 3 00:00:08,900 --> 00:00:12,800 He has fought for you on the cross and he's fighting to 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,300 deliver you from the tyranny of Satan in the gods of this 5 00:00:15,300 --> 00:00:35,700 nation. All right, this morning I before 6 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:38,900 we jump into the sermon. Yeah, just just wanted to share 7 00:00:38,900 --> 00:00:43,700 with you again my in this last month, I'm taking every 8 00:00:43,700 --> 00:00:47,600 opportunity I can to plead with you for your prayer and your 9 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:52,100 support as we launch out. And so that's that slide up. 10 00:00:52,100 --> 00:00:56,700 There are the ways that you can participate in and support the 11 00:00:56,700 --> 00:01:00,100 work of Frontier, wants to be a church planting church, we don't 12 00:01:00,100 --> 00:01:02,400 just want to be a church where the pastor's are interested in 13 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:03,200 church. Nothing. 14 00:01:03,300 --> 00:01:06,300 But the whole church gets involved in it and this is how 15 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:08,500 you as a church can get involved. 16 00:01:08,500 --> 00:01:10,800 You can pray for us because we need God's help. 17 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:15,200 As we go out, you can give we have financial needs, you can 18 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,800 give on the Frontier website. There is a byline there for 19 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,800 Emmaus Church in there giving page and we need financial 20 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,800 resources. And you can also serve and be a 21 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,300 part of our team. Whether that's coming to serve 22 00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:31,600 for a short time or just actually going and committing to 23 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,700 be like theater than his Family coming along side of us. 24 00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:37,700 So we need your help. And what I just asked you guys 25 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:41,100 to pray and see how God would lead you in supporting and being 26 00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:45,600 a part of this church plant. So that's that's my pitch to you 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,600 this morning because I'm excited about what we are doing going to 28 00:01:48,608 --> 00:01:52,000 be doing up in Ankeny. So this morning, we are in the 29 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,900 book of Zephaniah. We are again in our second, 30 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,900 second sermon here, through the book of Zephaniah. 31 00:01:58,900 --> 00:02:05,700 And this book Well, last week was Heavy, it was very heavy and 32 00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:08,199 this week not getting any lighter. 33 00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:14,000 Zephaniah is Hardcore and chapter two is just as hard 34 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,800 core. And as I have been thinking 35 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,500 about this sermon, see we'll just before I started preaching 36 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:24,000 it. I watch the Marvel movie and 37 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,700 game, many of you have seen this, right? 38 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:32,300 And there's fanos in that movie, the question that came that was 39 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,900 has been running in my mind ever since watching that movie a few 40 00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:43,900 weeks ago has been is God just another Thanos Is God just some 41 00:02:43,900 --> 00:02:51,000 other demanding detached. Heartless deity up there. 42 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,900 That's going to snap his fingers and just destroy everything. 43 00:02:54,900 --> 00:03:01,100 Carelessly, is God just a heartless being that has some 44 00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:04,700 twisted and perverse sense of justice. 45 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,700 When we read Zephaniah, chapter 2, if you're not careful, you 46 00:03:10,700 --> 00:03:13,700 can think, oh, God, and Thanos seem to have a lot in common. 47 00:03:15,100 --> 00:03:18,900 It can feel that way and so this morning, as we come to this 48 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:22,900 text, I'm asking that question. Is God just a tyrant like 49 00:03:22,900 --> 00:03:26,100 Thanos? Is God just a tire. 50 00:03:26,100 --> 00:03:31,700 Just another Tyrant leader. Taking his own dysfunction out 51 00:03:31,700 --> 00:03:34,800 on us lesser beings. And what I hope that we will see 52 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,700 this morning, an answer to that. Question is not just simply 53 00:03:38,700 --> 00:03:41,400 know, it's God is Not Thanos. What? 54 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,800 I hope to see that God is not a tyrant, but he's actually the 55 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,600 deliverer from tyranny, who puts us safe in The Joy of Jesus. 56 00:03:49,700 --> 00:03:51,800 That's what I hope that we will see this morning. 57 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,700 So stand with me for the reading of God's word and we will read 58 00:03:54,900 --> 00:04:04,900 Zephaniah, chapter 2, Starting in verse 3. 59 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,500 Seek the Lord. All you humble of the land who 60 00:04:13,500 --> 00:04:18,100 don't do his just commands seek righteousness seek humility. 61 00:04:18,700 --> 00:04:21,600 Perhaps, you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the 62 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,900 Lord. For Gaza shall be deserted. 63 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:27,800 And Ashkelon shall become a desolation. 64 00:04:28,300 --> 00:04:32,800 Ash Dodds people shall be driven out at noon and ekron, shall be 65 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:37,200 uprooted, woe to you inhabitants of the Seacoast, you nation of 66 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,600 the chera theit's. The word of the Lord is against 67 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,300 you, o Canaan land of the Philistines and I will destroy 68 00:04:44,300 --> 00:04:50,700 you until no inhabitant is left and uoc Coast shall be pastures 69 00:04:50,700 --> 00:04:53,400 with Meadows for Shepherds and folds for flocks. 70 00:04:53,700 --> 00:04:57,000 The Seco shall become the possession of the remnant of the 71 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,800 house of Judah on which they shall graze. 72 00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:03,200 And in the houses of Ashkelon, they shall lie down at evening 73 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:06,500 for the Lord, their God will be mindful of them and restore 74 00:05:06,500 --> 00:05:10,600 their fortunes. I have heard the taunts of Moab, 75 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,600 and the revealing of the ammonites, how they have 76 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,500 taunted, my people and made boasts against their territory. 77 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,800 Therefore, as I live declares the Lord of hosts, the god of 78 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,400 Israel. Moab shall become like Sodom and 79 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:30,000 the ammonites like Gomorrah and Al and possessed by Nettles and 80 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,500 salt pits and to waste forever. The remnant of my people shall 81 00:05:34,500 --> 00:05:38,900 plunder them and the survivors of my nation shall Possess them, 82 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:43,200 this shall be their lot in return for their pride because 83 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,100 they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts. 84 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:51,400 The Lord will be awesome against them for, he will famish. 85 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,600 All the gods of the earth and to him shall bow, down each in its 86 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,900 place. All the lands of the nation's. 87 00:05:58,700 --> 00:06:03,200 You also owe kushites shall be slain by my sword. 88 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,100 And he will stretch out his hand against the North and Destroy 89 00:06:08,100 --> 00:06:11,800 Assyria and he will make Nineveh a desolation. 90 00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:15,000 A dry waste. Like the desert heard shall lie. 91 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Down in her midst, all kinds of beasts. 92 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,800 Even The Owl and the Hedgehog shall Lodge in her capitals. 93 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,100 A voice shall hoot in the window. 94 00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:28,100 Devastation will be on the threshold for her Cedar work 95 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,900 will be laid bare. This is the exultant city. 96 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:37,200 Thus, that lived in that Securely that set in her heart I 97 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:41,600 am and there is no one else. What a desolation? 98 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,000 She has become a layer for wild beasts. 99 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:50,000 Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist. 100 00:06:50,300 --> 00:06:52,200 You could be seated in God's presence. 101 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:02,800 Heavenly father, is we now come to this text? 102 00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:09,300 And we look upon yet another Prophecy in the Old Testament. 103 00:07:09,300 --> 00:07:15,900 That man it's heavy. Making these threats against all 104 00:07:15,900 --> 00:07:21,200 these nations and in our minds Lord and our and our small minds 105 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:25,300 as we read this. And look at it, it's hard for us 106 00:07:25,300 --> 00:07:30,900 to distinguish you from other angry rulers out there like 107 00:07:30,900 --> 00:07:35,200 Thanos. It is, it's hard and we need 108 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,600 help this morning. We need your Holy Spirit to help 109 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,500 us to clearly perceive what you're communicating to us 110 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,600 through this text. And we need your Holy Spirit to 111 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:47,400 Help us receive it as what it is. 112 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,000 Is it bread for our souls to help us find joy and safety in 113 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Jesus? So I pray that you would speak 114 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,000 to us and help us this morning in Jesus name, amen. 115 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,600 So, as I said, this text sounds like Thanos, I'm just going to 116 00:08:04,608 --> 00:08:09,700 destroy everyone. What is God up to last week when 117 00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:12,300 we looked at the previous passage, that had a very similar 118 00:08:12,300 --> 00:08:16,100 tone to it we broke the passage up into three sections is going 119 00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:18,900 to be very similar this week. We'll do the same thing. 120 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:20,400 We're going to look at God's Wrath. 121 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,400 In this text. We're going to look at God's 122 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:26,400 reasons for his wrath and this text and then we're going to see 123 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:29,000 something a little bit different, a little bit clearer. 124 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,900 Picture of what God is up to. We're going to see God's Remnant 125 00:08:32,900 --> 00:08:34,900 in this text. So we're going to see God's 126 00:08:34,900 --> 00:08:36,500 Wrath. His reasons. 127 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,799 Ins and his Remnant in this text and will Define what Remnant 128 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:44,700 means in just a bit. So first God's Wrath. 129 00:08:45,700 --> 00:08:51,500 God here is personally involved in the destruction of Nations 130 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:57,700 around Israel. The Nations around Israel are 131 00:08:57,700 --> 00:09:03,500 taunting them, their tyrannizing them their ruling over them, 132 00:09:04,100 --> 00:09:08,400 they are afflicting them and God is going to destroy them. 133 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:13,200 And what you have here, then is a listing of the Nations around 134 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:16,000 them and in the order. Is. 135 00:09:16,300 --> 00:09:18,400 Well, this isn't the order. This is the only order I can 136 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,300 keep in my brain without looking at my notes. 137 00:09:20,500 --> 00:09:24,400 North, south east and west. You get the compass around 138 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:28,800 Israel, you get to the West in Verses 4 to 7. 139 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,000 God is going to destroy the Philistines Felicia. 140 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,600 So along the Seacoast, along the Mediterranean Sea. 141 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:40,200 God is going to destroy all the nations and of the Philistines 142 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:44,300 in Verses 4 to 7. We can see there that land. 143 00:09:44,300 --> 00:09:46,600 Not only was Posed to be Israel's. 144 00:09:46,900 --> 00:09:51,200 But now these people inhabit it and they are going to be and 145 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,900 you'll see there in Verses 4 to 7 does it's going to be 146 00:09:53,900 --> 00:09:56,400 deserted, it's going to be a desolation. 147 00:09:56,500 --> 00:10:00,300 The people are going to be uprooted destroyed and it says 148 00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:02,700 it's got a weird saying there. It says that it's going to 149 00:10:02,700 --> 00:10:07,000 happen at noon, which is a weird statement. 150 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:11,500 It's going to happen at noontime theologians of those reading 151 00:10:11,500 --> 00:10:14,700 academics quibble over what that means, basically, it means it's 152 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,200 most It's going to happen in broad daylight. 153 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,400 There's not there's not going to be, they're just going to come 154 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,500 God, doesn't have to surprise them, he's just don't come upon 155 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:26,100 them and he's going to utterly destroy them. 156 00:10:26,100 --> 00:10:30,100 He doesn't need to involve any trickery or strategy. 157 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:32,400 He's just going to come in the broad daylight and he just going 158 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,400 to take them out but then not that's to the east or to the 159 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,100 west. Then to the east in verses 8 to 160 00:10:39,100 --> 00:10:45,600 11 God is going to destroy Moab and Ammon now the ammonites And 161 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,100 the moabites In this passage these are blood relatives of 162 00:10:49,100 --> 00:10:51,600 Israel. These are blood relatives of 163 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,600 Israel. Who have who have joined with 164 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:59,100 other nations and our tear and seek to tyrannize Israel. 165 00:10:59,100 --> 00:11:01,700 And they seek to rebel against God. 166 00:11:02,500 --> 00:11:06,600 These are the ones that if you remember in the, in the Torah 167 00:11:06,700 --> 00:11:11,200 and the first five books of the Bible, you have Balaam coming to 168 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:12,700 curse. Israel. 169 00:11:12,900 --> 00:11:16,200 This is from these people. Balaam is from These people Bay 170 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,000 lack and in the attempt to curse Israel. 171 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,400 God steps in and causes him to bless them instead in the story. 172 00:11:23,700 --> 00:11:28,000 But here they have continued their desire to curse God and to 173 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,000 curse God's people and they are going to be destroyed for it. 174 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:36,100 So we have the west and the East, but we also have the South 175 00:11:36,100 --> 00:11:40,300 and verse 12, and verse 12, here is the shortest of the 176 00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:45,200 descriptions of the nation's. It says, you also could shites. 177 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,900 That is to the south south of Egypt in Africa, the kushites 178 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:56,000 they shall be slain by my sword. And it's what's interesting is 179 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:00,800 this sharp contrast between 12 and 13. 13 is talked as in the 180 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:03,100 third person, God's going to do something. 181 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:06,400 But 12 is something really personal going on here. 182 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,500 God himself is going to strike the cushion seats. 183 00:12:10,500 --> 00:12:15,100 There's a there's a personal engagement of God, it's short 184 00:12:15,100 --> 00:12:19,100 direct and he is directly involved in destroying them. 185 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:24,000 And then in verses 13 to 15. We see the north we get to the 186 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,200 North part. The compass in Assyria, Assyria 187 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:32,400 is the Mega Power in this day, they're the big Power and this 188 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:36,500 is where the city of Nineveh is and Nineveh at that time was a 189 00:12:36,500 --> 00:12:39,100 powerful City. It was like New York City, all 190 00:12:39,100 --> 00:12:44,500 innovation technology, Rich powerful, and a massive City. 191 00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:48,900 They were influential. And what we see here is similar 192 00:12:48,900 --> 00:12:51,800 to what we saw in chapter 1 and chapter 1. 193 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,600 If you remember, God is going to do the reverse of Of creation 194 00:12:55,700 --> 00:12:59,200 and he reversed the days of creation sewing that he's doing 195 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,800 D creation and bringing his wrath here. 196 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,500 We see. God say that a little bit 197 00:13:04,500 --> 00:13:09,200 differently, what we see in verses 14 and 15 is the 198 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:14,500 creation. Taking dominion over them and 199 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:18,400 Genesis chapter 1, God calls, Adam and Eve to take dominion 200 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,000 over the Earth and to rule over the Earth. 201 00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:23,700 This is why Adam can name the animals. 202 00:13:23,900 --> 00:13:27,100 He is, He is ruling over them and they're tending, the garden 203 00:13:27,300 --> 00:13:30,500 and all of a sudden here God is saying what I'm going to do to 204 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:34,300 you as Syria is you are no longer going to have dominion 205 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,300 over the Earth. You are no longer going to be 206 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:39,400 powerful. Instead animals are going to 207 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,200 rule over. You, you will be beneath the 208 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:45,800 animals. They will come and Roost and 209 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,500 dwell in your city and you will be, you'll be gone, you'll be 210 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,700 deserted One Theologian when academic says it like this, he 211 00:13:53,708 --> 00:13:58,000 says, the creation seizes power from the greatest of human 212 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,100 Empires and transforms it into a best. 213 00:14:01,100 --> 00:14:06,000 Beastial Wilderness. Organized chaos has supplanted 214 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,200 civilization. That's what's happening here. 215 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:12,400 That the chaos of Genesis chapter 1 that God brought order 216 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:17,800 to is now taken over and is ruling over this nation. 217 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,400 So God is going to destroy the nation's, he's just going to 218 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,100 looks. I mean it sounds like Thanos is 219 00:14:25,100 --> 00:14:27,700 going to flip his finger and they're all going to go. 220 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,600 It sounds that way, but there's something more here. 221 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,600 There's something something, even more profound. 222 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,100 We learned last week, invert chapter 1 verses 4 and 5 that 223 00:14:41,100 --> 00:14:44,900 the people were worshiping. Other gods says there, that they 224 00:14:44,900 --> 00:14:48,100 were worshiping milk. Mm, one of the Gods of these 225 00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:50,900 foreign Nations. The people of Israel brought 226 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:55,800 milk mm and brought bail another God into their Temple and were 227 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,000 worshiping the these gods in the temple. 228 00:14:59,300 --> 00:15:03,700 And what we find in verse 11 is that God is not simply 229 00:15:03,700 --> 00:15:08,700 interested in destroying the nation's but in destroying the 230 00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:11,800 gods of the Nations. And so in verse 11, look at it 231 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,300 again with me says there, the Lord will be awesome against 232 00:15:15,300 --> 00:15:21,700 them and listen to this, he will famish all the gods of the earth 233 00:15:21,900 --> 00:15:26,400 each in its place. All the lands of the Nations. 234 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,300 That weren't famish there and Hebrew. 235 00:15:29,300 --> 00:15:33,600 That's a word rasa. And it makes to me, may clean 236 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:39,400 means to essentially to starve someone to death that the gods 237 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:41,300 are going to be starved to death. 238 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:47,500 They're going to experience a long slow painful death, they're 239 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:51,600 going to wither as one academic says There Will wither to 240 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:55,800 nothing for lack of attention. They're just going to just going 241 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,300 to vanish in the night. They're going to starve to 242 00:15:58,300 --> 00:16:04,700 death. And what's interesting is that 243 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,400 when you read some of the ancient cultic Pagan practices 244 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,700 of these Gods, Bales would be created and made these little 245 00:16:12,900 --> 00:16:15,100 wooden statues or golden statues. 246 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:17,200 And they would be people would Bow Down and Worship them. 247 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,800 And one of the things that would happen is because these, these 248 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:23,400 Idols would be taken out on procession around the city for 249 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,700 people to Bow Down and Worship to, and big parties would be had 250 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,700 these things would get knocked over that, get beat up and these 251 00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:32,300 Gods would eventually start to look, you know. 252 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,300 Go get some wear and tear on them. 253 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:38,700 And in these cultures they had entire liturgies for how to 254 00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:45,600 properly bury and discard a God. Because the people at this time, 255 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,500 we'll and what we understand from the scriptures is that 256 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:53,400 these gods are not just, they're not just pieces of wood that 257 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:57,000 people think are Gods. These are like, demonic real 258 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,400 spiritual powers that are represented by these, by these 259 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:04,800 physical. And so in order to retain the 260 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:09,099 Dignity of the spiritual deity, that they were worshipping the 261 00:17:09,099 --> 00:17:11,700 demon, that they were worshipping, what they would do, 262 00:17:11,700 --> 00:17:15,900 is they would show honor to the beat up Relic and they would 263 00:17:15,900 --> 00:17:18,900 wrap it and Claws and then place it in a river and have a whole 264 00:17:18,900 --> 00:17:23,900 big beautiful ceremony of it passing on Into The Ether of the 265 00:17:23,900 --> 00:17:27,800 spiritual realm and a new Idol would be brought in. 266 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,400 And the reason I think that's important is because when we 267 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:37,700 read this text, God is not honoring these Idols, he is he's 268 00:17:37,700 --> 00:17:44,000 doing, he's you remember? When Osama Bin Laden was killed 269 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,600 and he was body, was pushed out into the sea and people were 270 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:52,700 very upset with this because it was, it was disrespectful to the 271 00:17:52,700 --> 00:17:55,800 Muslim faith to not receive a proper Muslim burial. 272 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,400 And so he was pushed out. And so it was seen as a kind of 273 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,400 offense that someone would do, that's what God is. 274 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,000 Is doing here to these Gods. He's not just destroying them 275 00:18:06,100 --> 00:18:10,600 and starving them to death. He's shaming them by, by the 276 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,700 way, in which he is getting rid of them. 277 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:16,300 He's showing them, their have no value and they are of no power 278 00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:22,200 that he is totally over them. And what we find here, I 279 00:18:22,208 --> 00:18:24,600 believe, if we think carefully about this is very similar to 280 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,300 what we find in the book of Exodus regarding the people of 281 00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:32,200 Israel coming out of Egypt. It's very similar, the Egyptians 282 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,000 and their Pharaoh tyrannize. The people of Israel, they 283 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:39,600 rebelled against God and the 10 plagues, all of them were a sort 284 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:45,600 of holy war by God through Moses on the gods of Egypt, they were 285 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,500 all assaults on the gods of Egypt. 286 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,100 And God raised, Moses up to bring those plagues against 287 00:18:53,100 --> 00:18:56,600 them. And as he did, the not only did 288 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,600 God defeat each of those Gods, but then God also defeated the 289 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,100 Army as they passed through the Red Sea together. 290 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,900 This is a see, there's a very similar imagery here going on 291 00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:12,200 between the Exodus and the Book of Zephaniah that God is Not 292 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,800 only interested in destroying Nations but the gods of those 293 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:19,800 Nations and we see that happening in this in this place 294 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,500 that the The people of God are about to watch, judgment fall on 295 00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:30,800 both the gods and the nation's. So, the next question, then we 296 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,700 see God's Wrath. We see his, we see his judgment 297 00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:36,900 coming to Bear. Why is he doing this? 298 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:42,800 What is he doing? We need to know why. 299 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,600 God does this. We looked at, we thought about 300 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,400 this last week and it's very similar and I don't want to 301 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,900 repeat everything I said last week, but there's some relevance 302 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:57,400 here. Osteosarcoma is a nasty cancer. 303 00:19:58,500 --> 00:20:01,200 It's a nasty cancer. I've seen it a lot in children, 304 00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:05,500 especially teenagers. And while it's rare defects, it 305 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:09,500 affects some teenagers. It's a cancer of the bone. 306 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,800 And most of the time, the affected bone has to be 307 00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:16,400 amputated and cut off. And if it's not removed from the 308 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,200 body that cancer is going to spread its going to go to other 309 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:19,700 bones, you could go into the blood. 310 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,900 It's a, it's a nasty, it's a nasty cancer. 311 00:20:23,900 --> 00:20:28,000 Now. Doctors in light of that, they 312 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,500 do the horrific. They do the do something 313 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:34,600 horrific, they take a child and then they Lop off a limb but cut 314 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,600 off that part of the body. And the cases I've seen, it's 315 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,800 typically the lower leg. So usually, it's like a femur 316 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:43,700 bone or they just amputate below the knee. 317 00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:46,700 Sometimes they try to put in like a steel rod in place of a 318 00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:50,200 bone, but they, but they end up having to literally just take a 319 00:20:50,208 --> 00:20:53,900 child and, and cut their limbs off. 320 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,000 Now, none of us. Think a doctor is a tyrant for 321 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,600 doing that. If anyone else was doing it 322 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:01,400 just, you know, going cutting off, kids legs. 323 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:02,900 We'd be like, not only are they are Tyrant. 324 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:05,600 They need to be put in prison forever and maybe get that get 325 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,700 the chair or something, right? but the reason we don't see a 326 00:21:09,700 --> 00:21:15,000 doctor that way, is because the reason why they do it Is just it 327 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,600 justifies the action. It makes sense of the action. 328 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:24,300 We know that cancer is deadly. We know that a doctor is precise 329 00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:27,700 and qualified, we know that he's careful, we know that he's 330 00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:30,600 working for the life and for the flourishing of the child, we 331 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,200 know, all that. And so when we see a kid walking 332 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:37,800 around with crutches, because a leg has been amputated, we know 333 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:39,400 that's happened for a good reason. 334 00:21:40,100 --> 00:21:41,800 We know that that's happened. We know that's happened for 335 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,600 their life and for their good. And the same, I would argue is 336 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:47,100 the case for the anger and wrath. 337 00:21:47,100 --> 00:21:52,700 That God Expresses in this text God sees the, I the cancer of 338 00:21:52,700 --> 00:21:55,700 sin. He sees the cancer of idolatry 339 00:21:55,700 --> 00:21:59,400 in the world and he seeks to attack it. 340 00:22:00,300 --> 00:22:03,300 And the reasons why? Because adalat idolatry, offends 341 00:22:03,300 --> 00:22:07,900 God, we talked about that last week, but It offends, God, 342 00:22:07,900 --> 00:22:10,200 because God created the world to flourish. 343 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,000 We were created to image and worship him alone. 344 00:22:15,700 --> 00:22:18,400 And in worshipping him alone is Paradise. 345 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,600 That's that's the picture of the Garden of Eden. 346 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,700 Anything outside of that is death and that's what the people 347 00:22:25,700 --> 00:22:28,700 are ushered into. That's what we are ushered into 348 00:22:28,700 --> 00:22:35,800 in sin is death and that death is comes from idolatry from E 349 00:22:35,900 --> 00:22:40,300 Adam and Eve and us with them. Preferring God over the thing or 350 00:22:40,300 --> 00:22:43,000 preferring things over the person of God. 351 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:47,800 And so like a good doctor, God hates agents of death. 352 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,000 He hates cancer and he seeks to destroy it. 353 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,900 Where it is, but idolatry as we learned last week, also corrupts 354 00:22:56,900 --> 00:23:00,700 human interaction, these Gods demanded human sacrifice and so 355 00:23:00,700 --> 00:23:02,700 they were sacrificing their children. 356 00:23:02,700 --> 00:23:07,300 To these gods, they were using others as a means to get what 357 00:23:07,300 --> 00:23:11,600 they wanted, manipulative and hateful to others. 358 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:17,300 It not only causes offense to God, but it causes, it causes 359 00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:20,500 and disrupts human flourishing and Human Relationships. 360 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:24,000 This is the nature of idolatry. This is what the gods of the 361 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,100 Nations do? This is what bail does? 362 00:23:26,100 --> 00:23:30,500 This is what the idols do? They've caused offense to God, 363 00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:35,800 and they cause disruption and disunity and human relationships 364 00:23:36,100 --> 00:23:38,700 and we can see these things come out in the text. 365 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:40,900 We can see them come out in verse 8. 366 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:43,400 What are these nations doing? Worship. 367 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:47,900 These gods, they are taunting the taunts of Moab, the 368 00:23:47,900 --> 00:23:51,700 revealing of they are taunting God and their taunt revealing 369 00:23:51,700 --> 00:23:55,700 God's people. Israel was small. 370 00:23:55,900 --> 00:23:57,700 They didn't have power influence. 371 00:23:57,700 --> 00:23:59,700 They weren't technologically advanced. 372 00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:03,100 There was nothing impressive about them and Moab and Ammon 373 00:24:03,100 --> 00:24:05,100 knew they could just destroy them. 374 00:24:06,100 --> 00:24:08,000 Easily. And so they would taunt them and 375 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,400 they would revile them for their weird rituals and weird laws. 376 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,600 And the fact that they only there were only to worship God 377 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:20,000 Alone in verse 10, we can see that they were filled with pride 378 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:25,800 and taunted Israel again and their pride is most manifest 379 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,400 pride is most manifest in verse 15, where we are. 380 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:34,600 Told that in that the man, that sounds a lot like America. 381 00:24:35,500 --> 00:24:38,700 At least it doesn't my mind. Nineveh this powerful, 382 00:24:38,700 --> 00:24:41,000 technologically advanced Society. 383 00:24:41,300 --> 00:24:46,000 What do they say in their heart? I am and there is no one, no one 384 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:50,000 else I am is the name for God in the Old Testament. 385 00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:53,600 This is what this is what God tells Moses to tell pharaoh, who 386 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:55,900 sent him, tell him I am sent you. 387 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,300 These people have made themselves, God, and this is 388 00:24:59,300 --> 00:25:02,700 ultimately. What idolatry does idolatry is a 389 00:25:02,900 --> 00:25:07,000 is just a means to serve Our own in our own purposes and to make 390 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:12,700 a god of ourselves. The cancer that God sees in this 391 00:25:12,700 --> 00:25:17,400 text is pride and pride is at the very center is at the very 392 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:22,700 heart of idolatry when Eve is in the garden and she sees the tree 393 00:25:23,100 --> 00:25:28,000 sees the fruit of the tree and into her, it looks delicious and 394 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,700 she desired and detergent. She not only desired to taste it 395 00:25:32,900 --> 00:25:37,200 but she determined in her heart that she wanted to be like God 396 00:25:37,300 --> 00:25:40,300 and she tried to in essence as we do. 397 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,300 Become God and determine for ourselves. 398 00:25:43,300 --> 00:25:47,200 What is good, right? And what how we are vision of 399 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,500 flourishing and our vision of the good life, rather than what 400 00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:55,900 God has defined for us? Pride exalts, the self, it 401 00:25:55,900 --> 00:25:59,500 exalts, the self and this touches all of us Americans, 402 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:03,600 today, we have our phrases, you know, the popular phrases, be 403 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:07,900 true to thine, own self. And it sounds like a Biblical 404 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:11,500 law, right? Because it is a religious law, 405 00:26:11,700 --> 00:26:17,000 it's a religious form of worship to ourselves or my favorite one. 406 00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:21,500 You see Nacho Libre, if you haven't, you need to there's a 407 00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:25,700 there's a great scene in there where nacho I can't believe I'm 408 00:26:25,700 --> 00:26:30,500 saying this, he looks at a little kid. 409 00:26:30,900 --> 00:26:35,000 He says, I am the gatekeeper of my destiny and I will have my 410 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,200 Glory Day in the hot sun and we all like, yes, go nacho, right? 411 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,600 Or the commercials on TV, these commercials crack me up. 412 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:51,300 Every time I see him, they'll they'll roll through a product. 413 00:26:51,300 --> 00:26:54,200 Whatever it may be, just, it may be something silly like chips. 414 00:26:54,500 --> 00:26:57,100 And at the end, they'll say you deserve it. 415 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:02,000 Right. This feeds into our exalted 416 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,200 sense of self our pride. Like yes I deserve it. 417 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,100 Yes. My my vision of the good life 418 00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:12,200 needs to be met. I am God and there is no other 419 00:27:12,300 --> 00:27:15,900 and that seed, not only lived in these Pagan cultures. 420 00:27:15,900 --> 00:27:19,000 It. Also, it also lives in US pride 421 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:24,200 is the basic denial that there is a distinction, a profound 422 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:27,900 distinction between who God is as Creator and who we are as 423 00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:31,300 Creatures. And not only did these demons 424 00:27:31,300 --> 00:27:35,200 these Spiritual Beings that took the form of Idols deny that 425 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,100 distinction, and tried to rule in the place of God. 426 00:27:38,300 --> 00:27:43,800 We join them in a conspiracy against God for our own selves. 427 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:53,100 God's Wrath here is not just an about human corruption, and 428 00:27:53,100 --> 00:27:58,200 human, abuses of one another. It is as r.c., Sproul has said a 429 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:03,000 response to Cosmic treason to Cosmic treatment treason. 430 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,200 We here, we find a conspiracy between men and women and the 431 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:10,300 gods of the Nations attempting to overthrow the rule of God, 432 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,800 eliminate him, and eliminate his people. 433 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:18,000 That is what's happening here. And this is why God is not 434 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,400 pleased. eased and wants to ruin, wants to bring it to an 435 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:30,700 end because we see also in in verse 11, That God wants. 436 00:28:31,100 --> 00:28:34,100 God wants all of the Nations to worship Him. 437 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,800 That God wants the Nations to worship him. 438 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,100 Not themselves. And not. 439 00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:45,500 Not these Idols. He wants to cause the native, 440 00:28:45,700 --> 00:28:48,400 this is why in verse 11. It says the Lord will be awesome 441 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:49,900 against them. He will famish. 442 00:28:49,900 --> 00:28:52,400 All the gods of the earth and to him shall bow. 443 00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,200 Down each in its place. All the lands of the nation's 444 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,600 he's saying he's going to destroy the gods and now all the 445 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:00,400 nations are going to worship Him. 446 00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:02,600 And what's interesting here is the word lands. 447 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:06,900 There is actually better. Slated Islands. 448 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:12,200 Which is interesting be and the point of that is that in the 449 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,600 writers mind, is that islands are like the farthest reaches of 450 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,000 the Earth. The farthest reaches of the 451 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,300 earth even out there on little tiny Hawaii. 452 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,600 God wants to be worshipped, not just here. 453 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:29,900 But in all the little tiny specks of land, every Speck of 454 00:29:29,900 --> 00:29:34,700 land on Earth will be ruled by the reign of God and the worship 455 00:29:34,700 --> 00:29:37,700 of him. He wants to rid the entire 456 00:29:37,700 --> 00:29:42,200 world, not just Jerusalem, but the whole world, the whole 457 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:48,500 Compass of sin of idolatry that will bring Justice Grace love 458 00:29:48,500 --> 00:29:54,300 and the hope of New Creation. So we have something of a holy 459 00:29:54,300 --> 00:29:57,200 war here. It's not just a holy war where 460 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,700 like Israel is going to go out and kill people. 461 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,800 It's God's war. God is going to take Vengeance. 462 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,700 He's going to take, he's going to war against these nations 463 00:30:07,500 --> 00:30:09,900 because of their attempt to destroy him and his people. 464 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,400 And in this way, God is like a good surgeon. 465 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,600 He's ready to douse the world and chemotherapy and surgically 466 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:20,200 remove the cancer of idolatry, the cancer of sin. 467 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,100 And we know that God is not a tyrant in doing this. 468 00:30:24,100 --> 00:30:27,700 Not only because in doing this he's delivering people from the 469 00:30:27,700 --> 00:30:31,200 tyranny of these Gods but he's also shown himself to be 470 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,900 incredibly patient. The book of Isaiah warns of all 471 00:30:34,900 --> 00:30:39,600 of this 100 years before this God has shown utter patients. 472 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,900 Not only to Israel but he's shown patients to the Nations 473 00:30:42,900 --> 00:30:45,000 around Israel. He's been pleading with them. 474 00:30:45,300 --> 00:30:50,400 Stop doing this worship me. Do not ask you to escape the 475 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:53,700 Tyranny and to stop tyrannizing, others. 476 00:30:55,100 --> 00:30:57,000 But he not only shows himself patient. 477 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,000 He also shows himself precise, not one ounce of his wrath ends 478 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:06,000 up in the wrong spot here. A good surgeon does not if he's 479 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,800 going for the foot, doesn't also take out the pelvis. 480 00:31:11,500 --> 00:31:14,600 Right. And what you see with Thanos is 481 00:31:14,700 --> 00:31:17,500 he's arbitrary. He just flips his thumb and it's 482 00:31:17,508 --> 00:31:21,000 just some random half of the universe has gone with God. 483 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:27,100 It's very precise, only on people who Serve it and only to 484 00:31:27,100 --> 00:31:31,600 the degree that they deserve. It is perfectly just perfectly 485 00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:36,100 precise and accomplishes the perfect end for which he intends 486 00:31:36,100 --> 00:31:39,100 it. He is better than the best 487 00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:42,500 surgeon and exacting Justice. He's better than the Bettors 488 00:31:42,500 --> 00:31:46,800 best surgeon in bringing life and flourishing to people. 489 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,200 But you may say well, why is God even telling us this? 490 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:56,000 Why do why does why do we care what God is doing with the 491 00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:01,000 Nations around Israel? Well, one you could say is most 492 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,300 of us aren't Jewish. So hey, we should probably be 493 00:32:03,300 --> 00:32:07,900 aware of it, right? But there are a couple reasons 494 00:32:07,900 --> 00:32:09,700 why God does this for the people of Israel here. 495 00:32:10,300 --> 00:32:12,800 First, he wants to, he wants to, he wants to promote their 496 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:16,400 repentance. He wants to, he wants them to 497 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,900 see what God is going to do with the nation's and he wants this 498 00:32:19,900 --> 00:32:23,700 to excite in them. A desire to get away from 499 00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:27,900 idolatry to repent and to get the idols out of the temple and 500 00:32:27,900 --> 00:32:30,500 out of their lives. This is what he wants it to do 501 00:32:30,500 --> 00:32:33,700 for us. Notice the 4 in verse 4. 502 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:39,100 The 4 and verse 4, verse 4 starts for Gaza. 503 00:32:39,100 --> 00:32:41,800 Shall be deserted. That tells us that whatever is 504 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:45,600 being said, from this point on, is based upon what comes before 505 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,200 it. And what comes before, it is the 506 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,200 call to seek the Lord in verse 3. 507 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:58,000 To seek righteousness. That perhaps you might be hidden 508 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,000 in the day of the anger of the Lord. 509 00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:07,100 He wants the people to see that if they pursue God, if they 510 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:10,900 forsake their Idols, that they that they and repent, that they 511 00:33:10,900 --> 00:33:15,400 will perhaps find Hope. And the reason for this is 512 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:19,300 because we know in verse in chapter one and I didn't talk 513 00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:21,200 about this very much less week. I'm just going to talk about it 514 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:25,400 for just one second. And verse 8 says, the day of the 515 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:29,100 Lord sacrifice, I'll punish the officials, the king's sons, and 516 00:33:29,100 --> 00:33:34,000 all who array themselves in what foreign a tire, the people of 517 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:40,100 Israel didn't just take on the worship of other gods, they 518 00:33:40,100 --> 00:33:43,700 dressed like them, they assimilated. 519 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:49,500 Add themselves into a culture of tyranny and the roots of it 520 00:33:49,500 --> 00:33:54,200 began to produce the fruits of that in in their culture and in 521 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,400 their life. And God wants them to say, you 522 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:02,400 need to pull away. Take off the entire to get away 523 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:06,300 from the gods of these other nations, Andrew and repent. 524 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:11,900 So, God was telling us this so that we would see him and his 525 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:16,199 threats and be motivated. Dated and be energized to repent 526 00:34:16,199 --> 00:34:18,400 of it. But he also wants to inspire 527 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,800 hope because as we said Israel small, they've assimilated. 528 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,000 They've assimilated to these other cultures because they're 529 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,400 afraid and we talked about this quite a bit last week about why 530 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:32,800 someone might worship an idol. Why would they dress like the 531 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,900 Assyrians? Because they were afraid of the 532 00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,699 Assyrians. They didn't want to stick out. 533 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:40,400 They wanted to go under the radar. 534 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:43,300 They didn't want to be a cause for the Assyrians to look at 535 00:34:43,300 --> 00:34:45,100 them and try to try to take over them. 536 00:34:45,100 --> 00:34:48,199 And so they played nice, they played nice with the other 537 00:34:48,199 --> 00:34:50,699 nations because they trusted that, if they did, they would be 538 00:34:50,699 --> 00:34:55,000 safe. But God wants to inspire hope 539 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,800 that you don't have to play safe with other gods. 540 00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:03,300 You don't have to play safe with the nation's, There's Hope for 541 00:35:03,300 --> 00:35:05,400 Israel. There's real hope for Israel. 542 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:09,900 There's hope for us, not only to be delivered from our idolatry 543 00:35:09,900 --> 00:35:13,800 but also to find safety and to find peace and flourishing. 544 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,500 In the midst of a very difficult world. 545 00:35:19,700 --> 00:35:21,600 And so that leads us into our final Point. 546 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:25,200 God's Remnant. What God is doing here in 547 00:35:26,100 --> 00:35:29,100 pointing out a? Remnant should? 548 00:35:29,100 --> 00:35:32,000 Hopefully give us lots of Hope as it was intended to for the 549 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:33,900 people of Israel. When they read this. 550 00:35:34,700 --> 00:35:36,700 As we said, God's justice is precise. 551 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:40,600 It's only directed at the proud, but those who are humble seek 552 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:42,800 Him. And forsake Idols, we see here 553 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:46,700 that God preserves them and they are a kind of Remnant. 554 00:35:46,700 --> 00:35:49,300 So to see this. We're going to walk through this 555 00:35:49,700 --> 00:35:53,400 Carefully in verse 3. You see that perhaps that we 556 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,500 focused on last week? Perhaps may God deliver you in 557 00:35:56,500 --> 00:36:00,600 the day of his anger. Which not a very strong hope 558 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:04,600 like perhaps sounds like maybe it's not going to happen and as 559 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:09,200 we said, we assume this is God being sarcastic with them. 560 00:36:10,500 --> 00:36:15,400 But what you see is that the perhaps actually manifests into 561 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:21,800 real hope in verses 6 to 7 and uoc Coast shall be pastures with 562 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,600 Meadows for Shepherds and folds of flocks and look there in 563 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:30,100 verse 7, the Seco shall become of the possession of whom the 564 00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:36,900 remnant of the house of Judah. That Israel here has a hope that 565 00:36:36,900 --> 00:36:41,300 God might not just perhaps deliver them, whether they have 566 00:36:41,300 --> 00:36:45,700 a hope that they will actually experience being not only 567 00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:50,500 delivered from the Judgment of God, but here being restored to 568 00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:55,200 their fortunes and walking into a kind of new creation. 569 00:36:56,100 --> 00:36:58,400 A Remnant. It says, we don't use that word 570 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:02,300 a lot. but with the surgeon illustration, we can make quick 571 00:37:02,300 --> 00:37:08,500 sense of it when a surgeon cuts off a leg That leg is discarded. 572 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,300 The Remnant is the rest of the body, right? 573 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:16,800 And so when God brings his Justice, he is going to cut out 574 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:22,100 the cancer of sin and idolatry upon these people, but there's 575 00:37:22,100 --> 00:37:26,800 going to be a Remnant and that Remnant is into that, let the 576 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:30,000 intention for preserving this Remnant is that it would 577 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,900 flourish and life would come. This is why we did as a nurse at 578 00:37:33,900 --> 00:37:36,100 the hospital with these kids with cancer. 579 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:38,700 This is The whole reason we would lock the leg off to begin 580 00:37:38,700 --> 00:37:40,500 with. We want them to grow and 581 00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:41,800 flourish. We want them. 582 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:46,000 We want their life to go on and to become even better than what 583 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,300 it was before. And this is God's intention, 584 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:52,000 this is his design and this is what we see actually promised 585 00:37:52,100 --> 00:37:57,100 through this prophecy. But God is going to be mindful 586 00:37:57,100 --> 00:38:00,500 of them. He's not going to be careless in 587 00:38:00,500 --> 00:38:02,700 the way in which he administers his Justice. 588 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:05,700 He's going to be mindful of them and think of them, it says he's 589 00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:09,700 going to restore them. That they are going to make this 590 00:38:09,700 --> 00:38:14,800 part of the nation, their own possession, which if you look at 591 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:19,000 chapter 1 and verse 13, it says that their houses are going to 592 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,400 be laid waste that they should build houses and this is God, 593 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:25,500 talking to Israel. But their houses will be laid 594 00:38:25,500 --> 00:38:28,500 waste the they build houses, they should not inhabit them so 595 00:38:28,500 --> 00:38:30,100 they plant Vineyards. They should not drink. 596 00:38:30,100 --> 00:38:33,300 Wine from them, they're putting God is saying, you're going to 597 00:38:33,300 --> 00:38:35,700 live in houses. You didn't build, you don't even 598 00:38:35,700 --> 00:38:38,600 have to do the work. These folks already did it. 599 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:40,000 You can go and you can live in it. 600 00:38:40,500 --> 00:38:43,300 I'm going to, I'm just going to give you their labor, their 601 00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:46,600 labor is now yours. You can go live in it and you 602 00:38:46,700 --> 00:38:49,900 can not only do that. But you also see in verse 7 that 603 00:38:49,900 --> 00:38:53,900 God is going to give them pastures and Meadows. 604 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,000 Those which means they're going to be able to graze and lay 605 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:01,600 down, they're going to be able to lay down at night, which has 606 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:05,200 the their piece you don't lay down at night. 607 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:08,900 If you're afraid, many of us are Sleepless at night because we're 608 00:39:08,900 --> 00:39:12,400 full of anxiety and stress. And the picture here is that of 609 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:16,500 abundance and provision of safety. 610 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:22,300 Of rest that God is going to give these people rest and verse 611 00:39:22,300 --> 00:39:24,800 9. Again draws us back to the 612 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:28,500 people of Israel as they come out of the of the nation of 613 00:39:28,500 --> 00:39:30,100 Egypt. Verse 9 says, they're going to 614 00:39:30,100 --> 00:39:33,500 plunder the people and they're going to possess them. 615 00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:38,600 The people are going to plunder them just as the Egyptians just 616 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:41,100 as the Israelites, plundered the Egyptians and taken all the 617 00:39:41,100 --> 00:39:43,600 silver and gold out of the Cities, they left. 618 00:39:44,900 --> 00:39:47,800 And then God plant and then God kills them in the sea. 619 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,700 So now Israel is going to plunder their neighbors and 620 00:39:51,700 --> 00:39:57,400 they're going to profit off of experience, blessing from God, 621 00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,800 from all the riches of the Nations around them. 622 00:40:02,900 --> 00:40:08,000 God's judgment came to Israel for the Egyptians to the Red Sea 623 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:13,200 and they walked through the walk through on dry ground. 624 00:40:13,700 --> 00:40:16,000 And I think this is what God is pointing us to hear. 625 00:40:16,100 --> 00:40:18,300 This is just reminding people of Israel. 626 00:40:18,300 --> 00:40:20,200 This is your second. Exodus is coming. 627 00:40:20,500 --> 00:40:22,100 Your second. Exodus is coming. 628 00:40:22,300 --> 00:40:26,100 I'm going to deliver you from the tyrants of these other gods. 629 00:40:26,100 --> 00:40:28,900 You're going to walk through on dry ground, and your kids are 630 00:40:28,908 --> 00:40:32,600 going to play while the Waters of the wall or up around you. 631 00:40:32,700 --> 00:40:35,800 You while you walk through and you're going to party on the 632 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:39,200 other side, just like Israel did in Exodus chapter 15. 633 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,000 That is what God is. Telling the people that he is 634 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:48,300 going to do for them. God is going to Usher them into 635 00:40:48,300 --> 00:40:53,400 pastures of peace and rest, and safety, and to be quite Frank. 636 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:57,000 This is just God saying, I'm an usher you into a new Eden. 637 00:40:57,300 --> 00:41:00,400 I'm going to bring you into a new creation where you can 638 00:41:00,900 --> 00:41:05,700 finally, finally rest, we sing that first song this morning, it 639 00:41:05,700 --> 00:41:10,000 was great, that line there that the name of Jesus speaks to us 640 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:14,200 in the midst of anxiety and depression, and has the power to 641 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:16,300 Deliver Us from that. And that is, what is being? 642 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:20,100 I hear that is what we see happening in this text. 643 00:41:20,500 --> 00:41:23,800 God is not in heaven, and some tyranny, tyrannical, angry 644 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,600 Thanos with an inferiority complex. 645 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:30,800 Just ready to pounce on us. The slightest infraction, he 646 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:37,100 actually loves us, he loves us. He's since Jesus to make a 647 00:41:37,100 --> 00:41:40,900 Remnant out of us and Usher us into his joy that we might 648 00:41:40,900 --> 00:41:43,800 flourish. This is why God sent Jesus to us 649 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:48,400 to actually fulfill this text in the most fullest form. 650 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:53,400 Sure it was fulfilled. Historically in various ways as 651 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:58,500 these nations were destroyed, but it was fully fulfilled in 652 00:41:58,500 --> 00:42:03,000 the person and in the work of Jesus sending Jesus to us to 653 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:07,600 fight the gods of the Nations. Defeats in to defeat the Devil 654 00:42:08,100 --> 00:42:11,200 so that we could find safety in him and be delivered from the 655 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,900 influence of the tyranny of devils. 656 00:42:14,300 --> 00:42:18,900 And of Idols, Jesus was taunted, as Israel was here. 657 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:23,400 In Matthew chapter 27, the people taunted him on the cross. 658 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:28,200 He experienced the taunting here, And in Colossians chapter 659 00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:30,500 2 verses 13 to 15. If you had, that will be up on 660 00:42:30,500 --> 00:42:34,800 the screen here, Colossians chapter 2, listen to what it 661 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,700 says and you who were dead in your trespasses and the 662 00:42:37,700 --> 00:42:39,400 uncircumcision of your flesh. There you go. 663 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:44,600 Andrew God, Made Alive together with him having forgiven us all 664 00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:48,800 our trespasses by canceling, the record of debt that stood 665 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:51,200 against us with its legal demands are idolatry. 666 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,000 God cancels it. This, he set aside nailing it to 667 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,800 the cross. And listen, he disarmed, the 668 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:01,900 rulers, the authorities that were authorities. 669 00:43:01,900 --> 00:43:06,300 There is actually, the in Greek, is the word part of curiosity, 670 00:43:06,300 --> 00:43:10,600 which means it's a lord. So, like, lording God's over 671 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:15,100 people's lives is the idea here. Rulers and authorities, and he 672 00:43:15,100 --> 00:43:17,900 puts them to what? Open shame. 673 00:43:17,900 --> 00:43:23,200 He taught, he shows them by Triumph thinking over them in 674 00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:26,400 him. Jesus did this. 675 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:33,000 He actually did it on the cross. Jesus, literally destroys the 676 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:36,600 gods of the idols. He destroys the gods of the 677 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:41,700 world, he destroys idolatry. And in the same breath and in 678 00:43:41,700 --> 00:43:47,600 the same work, he He defeats in, for you, your guilt because as 679 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:51,700 we noted, as I've noted in this, we all share in this guilt. 680 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:55,900 We all share in the guilt of idolatry, and Jesus here, 681 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,900 triumphs over it. And this week, you get to hear 682 00:43:59,900 --> 00:44:03,900 more about Jesus defeat of that, in the harrowing of Hell. 683 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:06,800 Which I'm excited for because they know Andrews going to delve 684 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:09,500 deeper into that for us. So, this is all leading into 685 00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:14,000 Wednesday if you don't know. But know this, you are not just 686 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:16,900 safe. And Jesus safe from tyranny. 687 00:44:17,900 --> 00:44:21,800 He has loved you. He has fought for you on the 688 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:25,500 cross and he's fighting to deliver you from the tyranny of 689 00:44:25,500 --> 00:44:28,200 Satan. In the gods of this nation in 690 00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:30,100 Christ. You not only have hope of 691 00:44:30,100 --> 00:44:35,100 overcoming the idols in your life, but to actually lay down, 692 00:44:35,300 --> 00:44:38,500 put your head on the pillow at night and have peace with him. 693 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:43,100 And this is what God has called you into In your relationship 694 00:44:43,100 --> 00:44:45,800 with Jesus. Whatever Idols you struggle 695 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:49,800 against today. Whatever Idols tyrannize you God 696 00:44:49,800 --> 00:44:54,300 is determined to destroy them. There is hope for you. 697 00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:57,800 There is hope that you will overcome and that you will be at 698 00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:00,500 perfect peace with God in your life. 699 00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:05,800 He's not a tyrant. He is a surgeon saving us from 700 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:10,900 demons, death and sin. That's what he's doing and he 701 00:45:10,900 --> 00:45:14,800 set his love upon his Remnant and offers us life abundant 702 00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,700 through it. It's a beautiful beautiful hope. 703 00:45:17,700 --> 00:45:21,500 Here he saves us from the penalty of sin and even more 704 00:45:21,500 --> 00:45:24,700 amazing he gives us a new identity in Christ so that we no 705 00:45:24,700 --> 00:45:30,000 longer have to fear and think we need to strategize. 706 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:34,500 So assimilate with The sin and Idols around us, but we can 707 00:45:34,700 --> 00:45:39,100 boldly look like Jesus and worship him and have have no 708 00:45:39,100 --> 00:45:42,300 fear. So, are you struggling with sin 709 00:45:42,300 --> 00:45:43,600 today? That's the question. 710 00:45:45,700 --> 00:45:48,600 Are there Idols that seem to hold you captive? 711 00:45:50,700 --> 00:45:54,600 Jesus has defeated them. He is the warrior, whose 712 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:58,100 conquered over the Gods in the battle on the cross, and in his 713 00:45:58,100 --> 00:46:01,800 resurrection from the dead, he gives you life and he gives you 714 00:46:01,800 --> 00:46:05,700 victory over them. They do not define you The God 715 00:46:05,700 --> 00:46:08,600 Who has liberated you. He defines you. 716 00:46:09,500 --> 00:46:13,500 This means as you fight against the gods of this age, your 717 00:46:13,500 --> 00:46:18,900 efforts are not in vain. Even if it seems impossible, I 718 00:46:18,900 --> 00:46:23,300 can't I can't count the number of guys who over the year of the 719 00:46:23,300 --> 00:46:25,600 last. Just five years have come to me 720 00:46:25,900 --> 00:46:30,500 and confessed, sexual immorality and addiction to pornography. 721 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:37,000 And guys, that confess it to me on a regular basis and they feel 722 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:43,000 hopeless and they feel trapped. They're being tyrannized by it. 723 00:46:45,100 --> 00:46:52,000 Christ has defeated that God. And you are truly free. 724 00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:57,600 Truly free not only free from the penalty of sin, but free 725 00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:00,500 from the tyranny of that sin in Christ. 726 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:06,100 And so that means we can press on press on and fight against it 727 00:47:06,100 --> 00:47:07,900 in the freedom that we have in Christ. 728 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:11,300 Not fearing that our efforts are in vain, not fearing, that it 729 00:47:11,300 --> 00:47:15,800 will eventually overtake us knowing that in Christ, we have 730 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:18,200 true Victory because he is already fulfilled. 731 00:47:18,200 --> 00:47:22,300 All of this for us on the cross. You don't fight against the gods 732 00:47:22,300 --> 00:47:25,500 alone. God has done it for you in the 733 00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:31,200 person of Christ. God has in a sense, opened up 734 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:33,300 the Red Sea for you like he did for Israel. 735 00:47:34,300 --> 00:47:37,600 He's defeated the gods of Egypt in your life and in Jesus you 736 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:40,300 can walk through on Grand dry ground safely. 737 00:47:40,500 --> 00:47:44,400 That is what he's calling you to and do the gods pursue you do 738 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:47,400 they come calling and taunt you and Ted tempt you. 739 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:54,500 Listen up, you're safe. They're defeated in the waters 740 00:47:54,500 --> 00:47:57,900 of God's judgment that is the hope that's in this text. 741 00:47:57,900 --> 00:48:01,600 So Church, you are safe in Jesus, in the midst of God's 742 00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:04,000 judgment. We're safe in a world of idols 743 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:07,700 and little gods, were safe. And Jesus, as we fight our sin 744 00:48:08,300 --> 00:48:11,400 and safety, and Jesus means that we can rest and is Cole 745 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:14,100 declares, we could partner harder than the kingdom of 746 00:48:14,100 --> 00:48:18,000 darkness together and that for me is good enough. 747 00:48:19,900 --> 00:48:23,200 Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your 748 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:28,000 word. We thank you that even in texts 749 00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:31,900 where you're calling fire down from heaven, that there is hope. 750 00:48:32,700 --> 00:48:36,400 Lord, that you've chosen to save a Remnant that you've chosen. 751 00:48:38,100 --> 00:48:41,200 Not to leave us under the tyranny of Idols which you could 752 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:45,000 have done in your Justice. But that you've chosen to send 753 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:49,500 your son to love us and to deliver us and to give us hope 754 00:48:49,900 --> 00:48:54,000 that we can be victorious in Christ by faith. 755 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,600 So I just pray God, that you would just fill us with hope 756 00:48:56,600 --> 00:49:00,000 this morning and that you would energize us in our fight against 757 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:02,300 sin together. In Jesus name we pray and ask 758 00:49:02,300 --> 00:49:03,400 this. Amen. 759 00:50:38,900 --> 00:50:43,500 You think I'm long-winded? That dude's got me beat big 760 00:50:43,500 --> 00:50:43,900 time.