(Through the Bible) Zephaniah & Haggai — Zac Poonen

God's Severity and Goodness in Zephaniah

Turn now to the book of Zephaniah and chapter 1. Zephaniah prophesied soon after Nahum before the Babylonians became the great world power and just before Jeremiah's time. It's possible that Jeremiah had was there towards the end of Zephaniah's time of prophecy.

He was the Prophet just before Jeremiah and he also speaks about the destruction of Assyria and the rise of Babylon. But his theme is the the severity of God and the goodness of God. There is a verse in Romans 11 which says behold the goodness and the severity of God and we can see that verse demonstrated in the whole book of Zephaniah.

First of all he demonstrates the severity of God, his strictness against sin and then he demonstrates the goodness of God to that remnant. As you've been listening to these minor prophets you've probably seen that there are certain themes that recur in all these prophets.

Pride, exploiting poor people, love of money among the leaders and not being deceived by external manifestations of revival. Chastening by God, God using heathen people to chasten his people. The need for faith to wait in patience the answer does not come immediately but God will definitely judge.

The anger of God against sin, the certainty of judgment and the remnant. All these prophets speak about a remnant. All these prophets speak about in a time of decline in the midst of God's people there will be a few.

All these things are prophetic. These things are written for us it says in 1 Corinthians 10. The entire Old Testament is written for us in our time when there is a decline in Christianity. Just like there was a decline in Israel and all the tribes declined.

I told you how the northern kingdom was Israel and the southern kingdom was Judah. A picture of denominational Christians which is the larger group 10 tribes and separated groups which is a smaller group two tribes but both declined and the separated groups did not learn from the failures of the denominations and made the same mistakes themselves.

But ultimately from this from the northern tribe and the southern tribe God brings out a remnant and that is what God is doing today. He's got a remnant. There is decline and declension everywhere in all of Christianity from one extreme to the other from the most ritualistic to the most free groups.

But in the midst of it all there is a remnant. A few people who have a heart for God and you will not find them in any one denomination. They are here and there who have a love for God who are seeking him who are honoring him who are filled with the Holy Spirit and who are not involved in all the controversies who are very careful with their tongues very faithful with money and God is gathering them together.

That is the theme of these prophets restoration and all that was for what ultimately this remnant was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and when the Lord came there was this remnant of Simeon in the temple Anna who was fasting and praying John the Baptist the shepherds and a few wise men too from the East.

So we see it was all for this remnant was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and today also there is a remnant in Christendom here and there preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. So Zephaniah first speaks about the time of judgment he speaks about the day of the Lord more than any other prophet.

False Revival and the Need for Holiness

There was a revival in Josiah's time King Josiah's time just about four years before Nebuchadnezzar came and took them all captives but Zephaniah was not fooled by that revival. A lot of Christian preachers are easily fooled when they hear about revival.

Zephaniah was not fooled Jeremiah was not fooled they could see through it but very few people even in that time could see through the hollowness and superficiality of what other people called revival.

All the other masses thought oh this is revival and today also you find so many movements among Christendom in Christendom and a lot of people are fooled revival revival oh people are doing this and they are doing that and they are now singing and praising the Lord in those dead churches and we think it's all revival.

It's not a revival to holiness it's not a revival to humility it's not a revival to freedom from the love of money it's not a revival to overcoming anger overcoming the lust of the eyes it's not a revival to poverty of spirit it's not a revival to forgiving others.

If it's not a revival for all these things written in the Sermon on the Mount what type of revival is it? Superficial and prophets like Jeremiah and Zephaniah can see through it in a moment they don't need time and I want to tell you don't be deceived by a lot of things which are called revival today they are not.

You would ask God to open your eyes read Jeremiah Zephaniah and see. They lived in the time when people spoke about revival and they spoke the truth and they were said you're negative people you're always criticizing negative they were not negative they were speaking the truth and the result is four years later Nebuchadnezzar came and took everybody captive then they realized Jeremiah was right.

Zephaniah was right. Those are the only fellows who could see through the hollowness and emptiness of what everybody else thought was revival and I believe one of these days Christendom will realize that the few people who stood out and exposed all this hollowness they will discover that they were right.

The people they criticized as heretics were the prophets of the Lord. Same thing then the same thing today. We find that and we see the need for that today all this results will not last. Now we turn to Zephaniah and chapter 1.

The Day of the Lord and Judgment on Judah

Judgment in the day of the Lord is basically his theme and then finally how salvation comes also in the day of the Lord. Judgment on the earth, judgment on Judah, judgment on the nations that surround Judah.

That's how in chapter 1 Gaza, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, Assyria on Jerusalem and the whole earth all these there's judgment on all of them. You'll see in chapter 2 verse 4 and all that. Now he says in verse 2 of chapter 1 I'll sweep everything away from your land.

In verse 4 to 6 we read how the Canaanites had dragged Israel down to their level. It says here in chapter 1 verse 7 stand in silence for the day of the Lord is near. Now there is a double fulfillment of all these things in the Old Testament.

As I said one was the Babylonians coming and Nebuchadnezzar or Assyria. Today it is the Antichrist coming, the forces against the church. In those days it was the forces against Israel and then that was the remnant and that was the coming of the Lord.

Today also there's the double fulfillment. There is a remnant and the second coming of the Lord. That day of the Lord which is spoken of there was the day of God's judgment in their time with the Babylonians coming.

For us today the day of the Lord is the second coming of Christ. Now the Lord says here not only the other nations but I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist. This is Zephaniah 1 .4 to destroy every last trace of their Baal worship because they go up to the roofs, they bow down to the sun moon and stars, they claim they follow the Lord but they worship Molech too.

I told you these verses describe how the Canaanites succeeded in dragging Israel down to their level. Israel went in to manifest the true God but those people succeeded in dragging them down to their level.

How does this apply to us today? It's like if you stand on a table and you have fellowship with the person who's standing on the ground even if you're quite a strong person. Tell me is it easier for you to pull him up or for that person to pull you down?

You know that if you get married to an unbeliever it'll be like that whether you're man or woman. You're up here and that person is down there. Ultimately both of you will be down there. So that's what happened to the Canaanites.

The Lord said don't have any contact with them. Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers but they didn't listen. The result was the Canaanites dragged them down to their level and the Israelites started worshipping Baal and the sun and the moon and the stars.

Did the Canaanites start worshipping Jehovah? No. None of the Canaanites were interested in worshipping Jehovah. They dragged Israel down to their level and we see the same thing in a lot of Christian churches today that say we are trying to Indianize our worship and when they try to Indianize their worship it becomes Hinduizing actually.

It's amazing how it goes in certain denominations of Christianity it's happening. You know I actually saw a Christian book published in India with the picture of Jesus in the cover and a seven hooded snake over his head and I saw it myself.

It was written this is the sevenfold Holy Spirit of the book of Revelation. This is what I mean by Indianizing. It's happening. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes and the picture of the priest who wrote it is there at the back of the book.

This is the age of deception in which we are living. They are succeeding in dragging us down. We're not lifting them up. Stand true to the Word of God. You think there is a significance to these coconuts that are given at wedding times?

I'm talking about Christian marriages. A lot of Hindu customs that creep in. Where did this dowry system come from? Is it in the Bible? Is it something that Jesus encouraged? Heathen customs. The heathen have it.

Christians have it. Show me one denomination in Christianity that doesn't have dowry. I'd like to see that in India. You see how they've dragged us down. We say we are standing for the Lord. Which Lord are you standing for?

They've dragged you down in every area. You just take the name of Jesus. That's all and if you stand against these things you will be unpopular. You'll say no no we have to. These things are part of society.

Society. God stands against this type of society which exploits poor helpless girls. It's completely wrong and these prophets stood against that and they hated them for exposing that because the sins of the leaders were exposed.

That's what I mean here and verse 8 on that day of judgment says the Lord Zephaniah 1 I will punish the leaders and the princes and those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies. But one thing true about all these people they fill their homes with loot.

They love money but they follow pagan customs and the Lord says I will punish their leaders. Always it's the leaders whom God hits out against and I hope you have noticed that in all the prophets when they spoke.

Prophetic Rebuke of Corrupt Leaders

They spoke against the leaders and today if God sends a prophet anywhere he'll be speaking against the pastors and the priests and the bishops and that won't make him popular because nobody likes to speak against the leaders.

That's why you say every single prophet was persecuted. You remember what Stephen said in Acts chapter 7? He said which of the prophets did you all not persecute? Tell me the name of one prophet he said which you did not persecute.

Every single one of them you persecuted. You know why? Because they hit out at the leaders. When Jesus came did he hit out of the gamblers and the drunkards and the women caught in adultery and the decoits and the cheating tax collectors and the thieves?

No! He never said a word against them. He said I came to save those people. He hit out against the leadership. People who held their Bibles and stood in the churches and loved money and lived for themselves never spoke against sin.

Never led people to godliness and they killed him. Is this the Jesus you are following? Or a mild Jesus who doesn't disturb any of the leaders? Hop knobs with the leaders and goes for feasts with them.

It is another Jesus that people are following today. These prophets spoke against the leaders. He said you fellas you're just making money filling your houses with loot and you're following all these pagan customs and therefore the judgment will come.

The judgment comes upon God's people because the leaders have failed. Verse 12 God says I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem's darkest corners to find and punish those who are contented in their sins indifferent to the Lord thinking he will do nothing.

In the church today there are people living in luxury indifferent to the commands of the Lord, leaders who made money through serving God and indifferent to the seriousness of God's commands. They just want to retain their position as chairman, director, chief pastor of some situation or bishop or something like that but they're not concerned about what God is saying and the Lord says I'm going to search out every little sin that's lying in the church and I'm going to expose it all.

You know whenever a church or a nation declines spiritually they move towards a life of luxury, ease, comfort and indifference, prayerlessness and this is what happens. Many of you young people today you start with poverty, sacrifice, prayer, study of the word, wait for another 30 years and see what happens.

If you are not faithful, if you don't fight against your flesh, if you don't stand against the corrupt Christianity you see around you and its corrupt leaders, I tell you you will become like them. Prayerless, not knowing God's word, just a professional preacher getting up and dishing out your sermons every Sunday morning, accumulating more and more money, building houses, living in luxury and with no anointing upon you even though you started with great sincerity.

This has happened in the time of Zephaniah and it's happened today. Learn a lesson from that and we see further in chapter 2 the Lord says through Zephaniah, beg the Lord to save you. Verse 3, all of you who are humble seek for more humility.

Humility and the Remnant

What a word! Those of you who are humble seek for more humility and perhaps the Lord will protect you in the day of his anger and destruction. He will. God gives grace to the humble. Zephaniah understood that.

Here is the pride of Babylon and here is the humility of the remnant in Jerusalem. I told you right from the time of Cain and Abel there's been these two streams, Babylon and Jerusalem. We see it running through here too, through the prophets.

That is Babylon, today a religious Babylon and that is Jerusalem, the Church of God and the remnant and the characteristic of that remnant is not miracles and great signs and arrogant speaking or high positions and titles and all that.

It's humility and they never get tired of seeking for more humility. Walk humbly and do what is right. Seek for righteousness and seek for humility and the Lord will protect you. See there's a great need especially in the remnant to be humble and I'll tell you why.

What is the danger those who belong to this remnant face? Oh we are not like those dead people in the denominations in the other churches. That is exactly how the devil wants you to think because he knows that the moment you start thinking like that God will become your enemy too and you'll also become a part of them.

You see how quick it is that the remnant becomes part of Babylon in no time and I've seen that happen again and again and again in the last 25 years. People who came out understood God's ways and then became proud.

Oh we are special and they became part of Babylon too. Zephaniah said that. Pursue humility. Keep your face in the dust. Keep your face in the dust. Keep your face in the dust. That's my exhortation. Everyone is a part of the remnant.

Don't look up and compare yourself with other people. That's none of your business. Compare yourself with Jesus. Full stop. Period. That's all. Nobody else. So that's a warning and the Philistines cities verse 4 will be rooted out and left in desolation.

How terrible it will be for them in that day. But a few survivors there again the remnant chapter 2 verse 7. Chapter 2 verse 8 we read about God's people who are part of this remnant being taunted and made fun of.

You see if you stand up for the Lord in the last days like Daniel and his three friends and like this remnant spoken of in all these prophets you can be pretty sure that all the other Christians are going to make fun of you and if you can't stand being made fun of you will just finally give up and join them.

Then say oh brother what a fantastic ministry we expected you to have but you've gone and joined this God forsaken little group and you're wasting your life. A lot of people don't need that 25 years at all.

I'm thankful that I didn't listen to them. I said Lord I don't care whether I'm with two people or three people. I want to be where you are. I want to move with you. I want to obey your word and I don't care for the opinions of backslidden Christianity or their leaders.

If you're going to be like that you'll face a lot of opposition but you'll finish your course with joy. You'll be a triumphant warrior 40 years from now if the Lord carries and you will not give up. Keep your eyes on the Lord.

Others will taunt you. The Lord says don't worry I'll deal with them in my own time. In chapter 2 it speaks about the destruction of Assyria verse 13 which is going to be destroyed. Assyria was declining after Nahum had prophesied but it hadn't yet been destroyed fully.

Giving Rather Than Receiving

And then finally chapter 3 speaks about the condition of the so-called Jerusalem of that time. A picture of a lot of Christendom today. Again the leaders. Notice the emphasis on leaders, leaders, leaders all the time.

Chapter 3 verse 3. Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims. They are out for everything they can get. You know Jesus told his disciples freely you have received freely give. He told his disciples it is more blessed to give than to receive and the Apostle Paul said in Acts 20 I have demonstrated to you Ephesians for three years the truth of this word that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

But do you think today's Christian leaders and pastors are demonstrating the truth of that verse that it is more blessed to give than to receive? No. They are all eager to get like it says in this verse.

Their leaders are out for everything they can get from anybody. Their judges another type of rulers are like ravenous wolves trying to get something from the sheep. Go here get something from the sheep here.

Go to another church get something from the sheep there. Go there to another church get something from the sheep there. This is how it is in Christendom. This is how it was then. Ravenous wolves eager to get and trying to speak about a Jesus who said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

If you cannot demonstrate by your life like Paul that it is more blessed to give than to receive how can you represent a Christ who lived on earth to show that it is more blessed to give than to receive?

How can you demonstrate a Christ who showed the love of God who so loved the world that he gave his son? You see this is a very important thing and again another group of there are four groups of leaders mentioned here in verse three and four.

Leaders, judges, prophets, priests. They are all telling lies seeking their own gain. Verse four. What do the leaders seek? Their own profit. It's all money money money money money money. When people ask me why do you speak so much against money money money money money?

I said it's here in the Bible that's why we speak against it. It's not receiving. The Lord has ordained those who preach the gospel can receive money. It's coveting, loving, longing for it, trying to grab it wherever you go.

That's different. Totally different. The Lord himself had ordained that the Levites should receive money from the others but he didn't ordain this type of looking for it looking for it everywhere and trying to get get get get get.

That is completely an abuse of the Lord's teaching and that's what's happening today. It's priests defile the temple by disobeying God's laws but the Lord does no wrong and he watches everything and he takes notice.

So he says I wiped out many nations before and the Lord is going to do the same thing now. He says be patient the time is coming soon when he will judge. Verse eight. And when I pull out a remnant from all this see what happens to this remnant.

The Purified Remnant and God's Joy

On that day. Verse nine. This is a description of the remnant now to the end of the chapter. I will purify the lips of my people. See the emphasis again on lips. Speech. If you have heard me minister you heard me often speak about speech and about money because the prophets speak of spoke about that often in the Old Testament.

The way you speak be careful if you want to be the mouthpiece of God. The way you handle money be careful if you want to be the mouthpiece of God. Just take care of these two areas in your life and I believe you can protect yourself from a lot of harm.

I will purify the lips of my people and they will worship the Lord together. They will stand together as it goes on to say in one translation shoulder to shoulder they'll be united and they serve the Lord and I will remove verse 11 all the proud arrogant people notice the emphasis again on proud people always the prophets speak against proud people proud people proud people you should preach in such a way that people ask you why are you always preaching against proud pride pride pride pride why you always being about humility humility humility that's what the prophets spoke about.

I will remove the proud arrogant people and there'll be no more pride on my holy mountain. And those who are remnant will be a lowly humble people and they will have faith in the Lord. They will trust in the Lord and they will not wrong each other anymore like they did in the past.

They will not have these leaders who are wronging each other verse 13. They will not tell lies to each other. They will not deceive each other and they will live in peace and in safety and they will have no fear.

A beautiful description of what a church should be like verse 9 onwards. It's a beautiful description. Meditate on that when you have time. I wish I could spend a whole session on it. And in that church this remnant that's really learned to love one another very few.

There's a shout of praise in the midst of this church. Verse 14. They're singing. They're shouting aloud. They are glad. They rejoice because the Lord has removed his hand of judgment and the Lord himself is living among them and their troubles are over.

And in that day the announcement in Jerusalem will be cheer up. Zion. Don't be afraid the Lord has arrived to live among you. He's a mighty Savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. He God does not rejoice over all his people.

Don't think so. Do you think God can find any joy over people who are living in sin. Can a father find joy in a child who is full of sickness who's got sores and eczema and asthma and leprosy and tuberculosis.

Can a father find joy in that. Neither can God find people who live in sin and don't want to be healed. But God finds joy in this remnant with great gladness. He shouts over them. He sings a happy song.

This is one place in scripture where it says God looks at his people and sings a song. There are many places where we sing a song to God. Here's God singing a song when he sees such people. What. What a challenge that we should be people like that.

And the says I'll gather you who mourn. You see this remnant of people who weep before God. I'll deal severely with those who have oppressed you. And I'll save the weak and the helpless ones. This remnant is a group of weak and helpless ones and I will give them glory on.

And that day I'll give you a good name a name of distinction. And the people who criticized you they will praise you when I stand and restore your fortunes in that day. Don't be worried about what people say about you today.

Building God's House in Haggai

So that's how the book of Zephaniah ends. And now we move to the book of Haggai. Haggai is a small little book with two chapters and Haggai was one of those prophets along with Zechariah who was younger to him who was sent by God to encourage the believers who had gone back to build the temple.

And we read here that for 16 years after they came back no temple was built. They just lived like that. Hearing. There are a number of messages here in the book of Haggai actually four messages first in the first chapter and three messages in the third chapter in the second chapter.

And the first one is a call to rebuild the temple. And what you see here is first of all the selfishness of God's people. The Lord says this people are saying verse 2 the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house.

You see if you go back to the book of Ezra what the king forbade was you should not build that city. He never said anything about not building the temple Ezra 421. But these people took that as an excuse and so I said no it's not your time because circumstances are not right.

The king is against us. And he says you fellows verse 3 you have plenty of time to build your own luxurious houses. And my house lies in ruins just like Solomon who spent 13 years building his palace but at least he spent seven years building the temple.

But here these people they just built their grand houses and were not concerned about the Lord's house. Do you find people like that today who are concerned about building up their own family and not the Lord's family.

Concerned about building their own house not the Lord's house. Concerned if some of their own property is encroached upon by a neighbor but not concerned when the Lord's property is encroached upon by Satan.

This is exactly the condition of a lot of God's people today. They are concerned about their property. Oh my children are sick. What about God's children my house. What about God's house. When Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And the other things will be added to you. There's exact opposite of this. What he's saying is put God's house first. I'll take care of your house. Put God's name first. Don't worry about your name. Take care of God's children.

I'll take care of your children. It's true. And you must be a living demonstration to an unbelieving world. That if you honor God he will honor you. That if you take care of God's children he'll take care of your children.

That if you take care of God's house he'll take care of your house. Is your life a testimony to that. That's a very good question to ask ourselves. And here we see in verse five and six the Lord says consider how things are going for you.

Is there spiritual fruitfulness in your life. You have planted much but you harvested little. That means you go to so many thousands of meetings. You read so many books. You listen to so many tapes. But what is the spiritual condition of your home.

Is there godliness in your home. Is there peace between you and your wife. Have you overcome even a simple thing like shouting at your wife. What's the use of going to thousands of meetings. You so much but you harvest so little.

You got such a lot of food to eat. So many tapes so many books so many meetings. But you're still not healthy. What a sad thing. Something is wrong. You have planted much but harvested little. Your thirst is not satisfied.

Your clothing to wear but you don't feel warm. You earn such a lot of money but there are holes in your pocket. Verse six. And it all goes away. You ask God to fill you with the spirit but you leak. And so it all goes out.

What's use pouring water into a vessel. That's got holes in it. I believe many many believers are coming to God with a vessel full of holes. Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit. And God just picks the holes first.

That's exactly the reason. It's not that God doesn't want you to fill you with the Holy Spirit. There are things in your life that are going to be patched up set right. There are holes in your pocket.

What's. He is putting a whole lot of coins in your pocket. Lord fill my pocket with coins. And God says no there are too many holes there. I can't waste all those coins. Many people who are asking God to fill them with the Holy Spirit.

That's it. There are things in their life. They have not set right. They have not gone and apologized to somebody. They have not returned some money. They've taken wrong plea. There are big big holes.

And they're saying Lord fill me fill me fill me. You can have all night prayer meetings to fill you. Nothing will happen. Spend the night fixing those holes and you'll get the answer very quickly. There are holes in your pocket.

The Lord says consider how things are going for you. It's a very good question. In fact is one of those questions how guys team is consider how things are going for you and be strong and do the Lord's work.

First of all consider. That's his message here. And I want you to notice here in verse 7 and 8 he is not talking about laying the foundation. He's talking about building the house rebuild my house. He says the foundation was already laid.

Jesus spoke about a man who laid the foundation Luke 14 and did not complete the building. You know that parable. And everybody laughed at him. Have you ever considered where that parable comes. It comes in Luke 14 in the middle of a section on how to be a disciple Jesus was giving three conditions of discipleship Luke 14 and in the middle of that he said I'll give you a parable.

When you preach evangelism without discipleship it's like laying a foundation and not building the house. Is the foundation necessary. Is evangelism necessary. Absolutely necessary. But if you build the foundation and don't build the house it's like just it's useless in a sense.

That's the con that's the comparison Jesus made between evangelism and discipleship. You read that in Hebrews chapter 6 verse 1 to 3. Also let us not lay again the foundation of repentance faith baptism baptism the Holy Spirit resurrection eternal judgment.

That's our foundation. Good. Let's now press on to perfection. That's the house. Let's make people disciples who are following Jesus and pressing on to perfection. What is Haggai talking about. He's not talking about the foundation.

He's talking about perfection. He's talking about building the house completing the house building the church building the body of Christ not collecting bricks. You know the difference between a congregation and the body of Christ.

If you put all the 50 ,000 bricks or stones that this building had let's say piled up here. Okay. All 50 ,000 stones are there. That's evangelism. They were cut from the quarry and brought here. They're born again now.

But that's not a house. You have to now take those people who are cut from the quarry. They were unbelievers. They're cut born again brought here now. You got to build them together. That's the difficult part to build them and make it into a house so that it is the body of Christ and the church not just a one-man show watching over all these bricks.

You know I believe a lot of churches are like this one man like a watchman stands there. Make sure that nobody steals my stones. And they say brother you're trying to steal my sheep. You're trying to steal my pile of stones.

Why is it. We don't have to watch all the stones in this building at night whether somebody may come and steal one of these. Why is that you must build a church like this. But you don't have to be worried about somebody stealing your stones.

They are there. They are built. They are cemented. There's a stone on top of them a stone underneath them. A stone on the left and a stone on the right. You can't take it out. Is these people who don't build who are always complaining somebody snatch somebody from my church.

I have never I. We have a church in Bangalore for 25 years. I've never said that anybody stole anybody from our church. We are building a building. Build a church. Heck I says build a house. Don't just be satisfied with the foundation.

Rebuke, Discipleship, and Anointed Ministry

And verse 9 to 11 you see a strong rebuke here the Lord gives. And I believe there's a great need in our churches for a word of rebuke. That's what's often lacking. There's a lot of teaching but not enough rebuke and correction.