WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU WHEN THERE IS NO GOD
Zephaniah 3:1-8
ATTITUDE WITHOUT GOD
V:1-2.\” Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God.\”
A. God keeps a record of your disobedience and unrepentant sins.
1. God keeps a record of how you treat others.
2. How we treat others is determined by how obedient we are to God.
3. To love God brings an automatic requirement to love your neighbor.
B. When the leaders do not know God, there will be a lifestyle of injustice.
1. When there is no love in the heart, it is easy to mistreat others.
2. Oppression is holding someone down so you can get ahead.
3. Those who oppress others, have no regard for man or God.
4. Any sin is a rebellion against God.
5. The more rebellious we are, the more defiled our lives become.
C. When you walk away from God, you will not trust God.
1. Those who do not trust God will not be close to Him.
2. Those who do not trust God will not seek him.
D. Some say leadership starts at the top.
1. But I say the heart of leadership starts at the bottom.
2. It takes a good foundation for a house to be structurally sound.
3. Those at the top had to rise from the bottom.
4. The teaching of the righteousness of God in the home is the start of a
solid foundation for those who rise to the top.
5. The continual practice of righteous builds the structure of sound leadership.
ACTIONS OF THE UNGODLY
V: 3-4. \” Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. 4 Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.\”
A. Both the religious leaders and civil leaders acted as predators to the people of God.
1. Instead of building up the community, they tore down the moral and spiritual
values of the people.
2. They used God\’s laws to do injustice and to profit themselves.
3. Like lions and wolves, they had an appetite for violence and injustice
that could not be satisfied.
4. Morning and night they sought new ways to corrupt themselves.
B. The religious leaders, instead of being worshippers of God became
worshippers of idols.
1. God\’s House had become a robbers den rather than a house of prayer.
2. They profaned the altar of God by offering blemished animals for sacrifice.
3. The general population was also guilty.
a. Instead of bring God their first and best, they brought Him the lame and the
cripple.
4. The Church today is no different.
a. God commands us to bring Him one tenth of our income plus an offering.
b. The Church as a whole across America only brings to God 2 percent of
their income.
5. Because the leadership does not follow God\’s commands is no excuse for you
to be disobedient.
THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD
V:5. \” The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.\”
A. The mercy of the Lord endures forever.
1. God is always good to us even in our sinfulness.
2. God is righteous.
3. There is no injustice in the Lord.
4. God is the same everyday.
B. In comparison, we are filled with injustice and unrighteousness.
1. A man without God can not be trusted.
2. A man without God is subject to do violence to his family and neighbors at anytime.
3. A man without God is his own worst enemy.
GOD\’S EXAMPLE TO US
V: 6-7. \”I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left — no one at all. 7 I said to the city, \’Surely you will fear me and accept correction!\’ Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.\”
A. God reminds us of His power, His authority, and His wrath by what He does to
other people and what we see in nature.
1. Throughout the history of Israel, God destroyed Gentile nations to make way
for them to take possession of the promise Land.
3. They had God with them fulfilling His promises that He made to their forefathers.
4. They were eye witnesses to the Glory of God doing their times.
5. They had a written record of the commands that God gave to Moses promising their
success in the promise land.
B. God expects us to study His Word and make corrections in our lives as He has
commanded.
1. If we are obedient to God\’s commands, He promises to deliver us out of all our
troubles.
2. God promises to not let His wrath fall on us if we repent and turn to Him.
C. Israel continued in their sins and ignored the warnings of God.
1. God knows the end from the beginning.
2. He knew Israel would not repent, but by His mercy He kept reminding
them of His impending judgment.
GOD SAID IT, BELIEVE IT!!
V: 8-9. \” Therefore wait for me,\” declares the Lord, \”for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them — all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. 9 \”Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder\”
A. Because Israel would not repent and turn from their wicked ways, God
prepared the Babylonians to come and destroy Jerusalem , the temple and
take them captive for 70 years. (Jer 29:4).
1. God chastises those He loves.
2. The good news is that His chastisement is designed to bring us back to Him.
3. The good news is God\’s chastisement is for a season of revival.
B. Our actions will affect our children.
1. They will suffer with us.
2. Their homes were destroyed and they had to start again in a foreign nation.
3. The good news is, even when God is punishing us, He is taking care of us.
4. God put a wall of protection around Israel while they were in captivity
longing to return to their homeland.
5. God promised their return to the Promise Land.
SUMMARY
THREE STAGES OF COMMITMENT TO GOD
A. NO COMMITMENT
1.The world does not know God. John 6:44
2. The world says there is no God.
B. PARTIAL COMMITMENT
1. Most of the church fits into this category.
2. We believe in God.
3. We come to church on a regular basis.
4. We don\’t completely rely on God.
5. We don\’t completely trust God.
6. How does God get commitment out of people who know Him
but will not follow His commands?
a. The Israelites are our example.
b. He warns us of impending judgment.
c. He takes away that which distracts us from Him; job, health, family, etc.
d. He gives us over to others who destroy what we have and abuse us.
e. He brings us to the point where we cry out to Him.
f. He punishes us because of His love.
C. COMPLETE COMMITMENT
1. Totally committed to the Will of God.
2. Total subjection to God\’s commands.
3. Spiritually tuned with Lord.
4. Continually seeks God for guidance and directions.
5. Relies on God in good times and times trouble .
6. Seek ways to serve Him.
7. Actively in involved in the ministry.
8. Generous in giving.
9. A minister of the Gospel to his/her environment.
10. Constant in Praise and Worship of the Lord.
11. We sin but we grieve because of our sins and repent.
SUCCESSFUL LIVING STARTS WITH TOTAL DEPENDANCE ON GOD
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst. Pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway
Houston, Texas
For a complete set of my messages, visit my blog
goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
