You Stand Alone

Zephaniah 2:1-3 (ESV) 1 Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, 2 before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD. 3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Zephaniah 3:1-5 (ESV) 1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! 2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. 3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. 4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. 5 The LORD within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.

Introduction:

• Getting ready for the great day.
• Dressed and ready.
• Filled and ready.
• Praying, watching and ready.
• Only for the rest of your life here on earth.

1. Seek the Lord.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

1.1. What are you seeking?
1.2. What keeps you from seeking the Lord?
1.3. The pride of man keeps man from seeking the Lord and living right. 1.4. The humility of man keeps one seeking God.

2. Good works are not seeking the Lord.

James 2:18 (ESV) 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

2.1. Though good deeds result from seeking the Lord.
2.2. One can have good works apart from seeking the Lord but should not not have good deeds after seeking the Lord.
2.3. Good deeds in one area of our life does not compensate for the lack of seeking the Lord and doing what is right in other areas of your life.

3. Not seeking the Lord is a form of rebellion.

Zephaniah 3:1-5 (ESV) 1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! 2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God.

3.1. What does rebellion look like…?

3.1.1. Listening to no one.

3.1.2. Not receiving correction.

3.1.3. Not trusting in the Lord
3.1.4. Not drawing near to the Lord.

3.2. Listening to no one.

Proverbs 15:22 (ASV) 22 Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed; But in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

3.2.1. Every person should have a counsel base.
3.2.2. It is a hard thing to listen to others.
3.2.3. People who are not afraid to tell your the truth.
3.2.4. You spouse, your your older children, your Pastor, your group leader,

3.2.5. Ela… We all have opinions of what correction should look like, how it should come if it is really the Lord, and how we should feel about the correction itself…. But if God can use a donkey then he can use whom so ever he needs too…

3.3. Not trusting the Lord.

Zep. 3:2 She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God.

3.3.1. Not drawing near to God.
3.3.2. A life that is drawing near to God has a certain aroma about it.

3.3.3. There is a sense of the fragrance of Jesus that surrounds their life.
3.3.4. A life that is not drawing near to God also has a certain aroma about it:
3.3.5. There is a fragrance of self or flesh or agenda or avoidance.

3.3.6. Part of trusting the Lord is being able to be listen and be corrected by the people the Lord has placed in and over your life.

4. When the leaders are rotten:

Zep. 3:3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. 4 Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.

4.1. it certainly does not help
4.2. judges are wolves.
4.3. prophets are fickle and treacherous. 4.4. Priest profane the word

5. You stand alone.

Romans 14:10-12 (ESV) 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

5.1. Each of us will stand alone.
5.2. So You work on you.
5.3. Why expend so much energy of judging others actions when we will only be judged for our own.

Matthew 12:35-37 (NKJV) 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

5.4. No excuse to continuing acting like a persoon who has not been saved by grace.

5.5. Those who are in Christ no longer sin.

John 8:10-11 (ESV) 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

6.1. They have not been born of God.
6.2. They have not repented and surrendered.
6.3. Your rebellion and pride are more important than forgiveness and freedom.
6.4. We have come out of the world, its system, how it makes decisions, and how it justifies its actions.
6.5. Why then do we still walk and talk like the world. 6.6. Are we trying to relate.
6.7. Are we trying not to stand out too much.

Conclusion:

• You stand alone before God.
• There is no one to blame.
• The judgment seat of God
• To give an account.