(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) Hey, man All right, so we're starting a new book in the Bible it's the book of Zephaniah or in chapter number one as you read along with Brother CJ and So there's only three chapters in the book of Zephaniah And I actually I don't know if I've ever heard a sermon out of the book of Zephaniah who's heard a book Okay, one person's heard out of the two people out of the book of Zephaniah all right Well, there's two people and there's like 40 something here, so anyway, so I've never even preached a sermon out of this before but Just getting to study it. You know it's it's a great short little book, and I'm excited about teaching it so the title of the sermon tonight is Preaching in season and out of season preaching in season and out of season. Let's pray Lord We thank you so much for the opportunity to come to church Thank you for your word Lord and even a short book like this Lord that sometimes people overlook I just pray that you'd help me with the Holy Ghost to Reveal those those things in your word board that you want revealed in Jesus name Amen All right, so Zephaniah chapter 1 verse number 1 the Bible says this the word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushai the son of Gedaliah the son of Amoriah the son of Hizkiah in the days of Josiah the son of Ammon king of Judah, so this guy is a prophet Obviously and and he's prophesying He's preaching in the days of Josiah one of the greatest kings in all of Judah and we know that after Josiah dies that things go downhill really quickly and Then the the nation of Israel is destroyed the temples destroyed so Zephaniah is a prophet like I said at the time of the rain during King Josiah so but during Josiah's reign Israel saw a great revival and God blessed Josiah tremendously for his obedience to the Bible and to God's commands, but so Anybody that's read the Bible several times knows that that they were never promised a stay from basically this Execution that was going to be happening that the Lord was going to destroy That was going to destroy him because you know he said that he's not gonna. He's not gonna pardon the sins You know the blood had to be paid for there's so much blood that was spilled in Jerusalem that had to be paid for somehow so but So we're looking at this first part Look at verse 2 is it's the coming this is the coming judgment against the nation of Judah It says I will utterly consume all things from off the land sayeth the Lord I will consume man and beast I will consume fowls of the heaven and of the fishes of the sea and the stumbling stumbling blocks with the wicked and I will Cut off man from off the land sayeth the Lord So you know the thing is Zephaniah is preaching during a time when there's a man of that There's a godly king you know in case you didn't notice if you were following along This isn't a very positive chapter in the Bible is it it's pretty negative See but people get this wrong idea about God that he's always smiling. He's always in a good mood He's never angry at anybody He's just always nice, and he just loves loves loves well that doesn't sound like love pouring someone's blood out You know on the ground and their flesh being like the duck like dung on the earth I mean that that's not very positive is it but people think that the God from the Old Testament Is different than the God in the New Testament? He's the same God Read the book of Revelation. There's some pretty bad things that happen in the book of Revelation, too, so But the thing is why would he preach a negative a few sermons here? Why would he preach this prophecy in? a time in Of peace when Jerusalem is doing good when Josiah is doing good when he's throwing all the abominations out of the land right? Why why would he do that? well because That's what good preachers do They preach negative even during the times when things are going right So that's what good pastors do they don't just preach all the good all the time You got to preach the good and the bad you got to preach the negative and the positive You can't just preach the parts you like the puppy dogs and flowers or whatever you'd call it You got to preach the whole Bible the whole counsel of God and even though things are going good in Judah at this time God's still saying I'm gonna wipe you out. I'm gonna wipe out the next generations that are to come So I'm sure that that wasn't a very popular sermon. You know, but sometimes you know, just like the Billy Graham sermon I preach it's not very popular Right now I have people just bombarding me all the time with messages saying they're gonna come travel to the church and whatever Well, I don't care Look if you preach against the wickedness of this world people are gonna come after you So any guy that wants to be a preacher here if you got thin skin And you get upset about every little thing that someone says about you Then it's probably not a good idea for you to become a preacher just saying So but you know the thing is we're supposed to preach the Word of God in season and out of season Was he preaching was he preaching out of season in this you think? Yeah, because things were going good. It's like Zephaniah. Why do you got to come ruin it with your judgment sermon, you know? Turn over to 2nd Timothy chapter 4 keep your finger there in Zephaniah. We're gonna just go verse by verse tonight Turn into 2nd Timothy 4 verse 2 See the thing is even in the New Testament God commands us to preach in season and out of season He's been telling people to do that the whole time. Let's see the false prophets like to preach the good stuff Oh, it's about love. It's about grace No, sometimes. It's about judgment, too. You got to put the whole thing in there You can't just you know put all meat and cheese in there you got to put some veggies in there, too Right you know some okra or something. I don't know Anyway, I just named some kind of vegetable. I don't like so 2nd Timothy 4 to Preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke Exhort with all long suffering and doctrine Okay, that's what the Bible says to do look at verse 3. It says excuse me for the time will come Well, they will not endure sound doctrine But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables But watch thou in all things endure afflictions do the work of an evangelist make full proof of thy ministry So this is the apostle Paul talking to Peter saying look you're gonna have to preach the whole thing You gotta you gotta preach it in season out of season when it's popular when it's not popular when it's winter when it's summer You know you gotta you gotta have the the winter clothes on during the summertime You know that's out of season right wouldn't it be weird for someone to you know in the middle of winter walking here with shorts and flip-flops But that's kind of what God's saying to do you need to do it out of the things out of season You need to do the things while they're in season So basically what's he saying preach everything preach the whole thing if things are going good You still got to preach the negative stuff too because if you don't preach the negative stuff the negative stuff is gonna happen People aren't gonna get sin out of their life if they if you never preach against it If you don't ever feel any conviction sitting in this church, I'm not doing my job, right? so And if you guys when you're preaching I don't feel anything that I'm I'm not right with God You know everybody should feel daggers You know from time to time from preaching amen So we're supposed to preach against abortion when it isn't popular Right did you know that? It's not popular right now to preach against abortion. It's not popular right now to preach against the homos So there's not very many churches in town that preach against the homos There's not very many churches in this country that preach against the homos, but they got to be preached against it's not popular It's out of season right now It's like yeah, who knows no no homos So if we've learned anything in the last few years is that doc it's the doctrine We think everyone has down the devil seems to work that that angle I mean who would have thought in a million years that the Trinity would be something that would be attacked It would be a big debate It's like the Father Son the Holy Ghost these three are one. It's not that complicated people But you know people are taking that and just make it and all kinds of weird stuff out of it So how about things like calling upon the name of the Lord? I mean who would have thought that would be a controversial thing? The Bible says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Right Calling upon the name of the Lord's all faith If you don't believe he's there you're not gonna call upon him right, so that's believing But that's not complicated either, but people were attacking that earlier this year. That's works Come on. Why would God tell you that's not of works and then say whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved That's retarded man, that's so stupid It's just I mean that's that's novice stuff right there How about alcohol oh, yeah, it's okay to drink alcohol I mean that really hasn't come up lately, but Afton seemed to really get into that doctrine, right? Yeah, one drink is fine with your dinner All right, what book in the chapter is that in? You know one beer thou shalt have and one only Thou shalt drinkest one glass of wine and not only thou will not be drunk. I mean people just make up stuff The doctrines that I mean drinking alcohol is like drinking poison You know if you know if you keep drinking alcohol, and you don't stop you'll die. Did you know that? You know it's literally poison So why would you drink? things that are poisonous to you that get you drunk to make you do stupid things and say stupid things and act in stupid ways and And for some reason people's judgment is like hey I'm good to drive as they go off and kill somebody else's family. You know it's a wicked sin So we but we need to hammer the basics we need to hammer baptism We need to hammer salvation if you haven't noticed in the last year. I've hammered salvation by faith alone a lot Why am I doing that because it needs to be preached? Because people are forgetting how to get saved it seems like You know next thing you know people will be like it is repent of your sins. No, it's not repent of your sins You know And also, I've been hammering a lot the King James Bible And I'll always continue to hammer that I don't care what anybody says This book right here is the only book that's ever being preached in this church ever as long as I'm here There's nothing else that book right there old faithful. That's the real faithful right there But why do I preach the basics why I mean you know those are the least viewed sermons too on YouTube It's like growing grace and knowledge 76 views You know sodomites 500 is You know we got it. We got to know that the simple doctrines also the ones that are easy to know the simple the Sincere milk of the word we need to know those things to look at verse 4 Zephaniah 1 Zephaniah 1 4 says I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place in the name of the Chemerims with the priest so Baal is the Old Testament What we would call he's Satan that's who bail represents Satan and the Chemerims are Like his priests so the priests of Baal. That's what they were called the Chemerims You know when I looked up the definition it said those who go about in black So there's a lot of people to dress in black all the time, and they you know so the Chemerims are still around They're just not in Israel anymore. I guess but But they're wicked priests. God said I'm gonna cut them off. I'm gonna cut off the name of Baal and It is true during Jesus's time you didn't see him talking about Baal all the time because they weren't worshipping bail anymore They just had become their own new religion Which was the Christ rejecting you know Judaism basically so turn over to 2nd Kings chapter 23 2nd Kings chapter 23 2nd Kings chapter 23 Israel really had a big Problem like worshipping bail like that was like the thorn in their side for hundreds of years was to worship bail but look at 2nd Kings 23 verse 4 it says and the king commanded Hilkiah the priest and the priest of the Second order and the keepers of the door to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the grove and for the host of heaven and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel, so This is you know he's preaching this during the time that Josiah is doing this and he kicked all that stuff out But then right as soon as Josiah died they brought it all right back in So you know it's not like he just preached He wasn't just preaching this for no reason look at verse 5 it says and he put down the idolatrous priest That'd be the chimerims right the out the idolatrous priest whom the king of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and the places round about Jerusalem and also that burned incense and a bail to the sun and to the moon to the planets and to all the hosts of heaven and he brought This is Josiah doing this and he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord and without Jerusalem Under the brook Kidron and birded at the brook Kidron and stamped it Small to powder and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people and he break down the houses of the Sodomites that were by the house of the Lord which are where the women wove hangings for the grove So King Josiah was a righteous righteous king right and it says that he broke down these the houses of these sodomites And what are sodomites their homosexuals? So he broke their houses down just because they were by the house of the Lord, right? Notice Josiah didn't invite them to church Did you notice that he didn't say he'll come on in the temple because the Bible says they're not they're not allowed to come into the town They're not allowed So he put down the idolatrous priest like dogs You know he didn't just put him down like he had it like he was picking him up or something and put him down No, he put them down You know like you know an old dog That you know has gone had rabies or something like old yellow or something, I don't know but You know he put these idolatrous priests down like dogs, and he break down the houses of the sodomites You know it doesn't say that they weren't in the houses when he broke them down either does it by the way So they could have still been in the house right just bulldoze these guys You know They shouldn't have been there They should have had no business being there so you notice that all this like bail worship and all this other stuff like the sodomites and All the all the priests of bail and all this worship all this stuff is tied together with Satanism. It is They're his children. They're the children of the devil So he broke down their houses. He destroyed all their idols their groves or false religious items Sounds to me like Josiah didn't really have respect for religious liberty He wouldn't have done too. Well in the United States would he? He would have been a great president for us though, right? Sounds like he didn't agree with what the Constitution says You know that all religions, okay? God doesn't feel that way. I don't understand why people think that even like people in Baptist churches are like oh Yeah, all religious no God doesn't like other religions. He doesn't he thinks they're wicked Now if we can get him saved Amen, but a lot of times They're not getting saved you think God likes the Mormons going from door to door passing out their junk sending people to hell No, of course. He doesn't he doesn't like the Jehovah's Witnesses going out pretending to be Baptist Saying that Jesus didn't have the didn't resurrect and in his real body Sending people to hell It's wicked and God's always going to be against false religion Zephaniah 1.5 turn back there Zephaniah 1.5 if you have your finger in there still These cute little baby waters keeping it interesting Anthony all right Okay all right so Zephaniah 1.5 says and then that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops and then that worship and that Swear by the Lord and that swear by Malcolm So it's just continuing to list all these people that God's going to put down right then that worship the host of heaven Upon the housetops. There's people that worship even today the host of heaven They they're called astrologers You know these people that say oh you can guess what kind of person you are by what month you were born on the cusp Of you know whatever Leo, and I don't know I forgot all that stuff I don't want to know any of that stuff anymore. I'm glad I'm not into it anymore, but It says and then that that worship and swear by the Lord so even the people that worship and swear by the Lord They're obviously Not right with God, but it says even we're safe people killed during that siege you think of course they were God God didn't spare anybody. It was left in that city when he when he actually went and destroyed Jerusalem I'll show you some verses here in a little bit, but he it was an utter destruction So but it says in the swear by Malcolm So I was trying to figure out who this Malcolm guy is but in the Bible He's known by other different names see all these these Cultures they had this it was the same Demon that they were worshiping But they just called it like a different variation of that name like there's bail and bail um and just different names so Malcolm is also Moloch known as Molech or Milcom or Malick so different different names from different cultures would call them something different, but what it is It's a demon okay. They're worshiping the devil the Bible says that those people who worship those other gods They were worshiping devils so though they were In verse look at verse 6 it says and then that are turned back from the Lord and those who have not sought the Lord Nor inquired of them see it is the people that are backslidden from the Lord see God will still kill his own people That's what people don't understand is that you could be saved But God could still kill you did you know that and I know that could seems kind of scary, but Look look at it again verse 6 It says and then that are turned back from the Lord and those that have not sought the Lord Nor inquired for him, so you're talking about unsaved people, but you're also talking about safe people People that have turned back see you can be saved and be really far away from God You can be saved and be backslidden from from the Lord. I mean look at Samson. He went to a harlot He had both of his he had his hair cut off because he told the secret of his strength He had his eyes poked out with pokers You know he was blind pushing Pushing and making sport for the people You know it's because he was he was being punished because of the things he did on this world see people Don't think that you can lose your salvation, but you can't lose your salvation God just might make you lose your life your job your family Anything you hold dear he's try. He's gonna try to continually bring you back to him and when all else fails You're done You know he might punch your ticket. Just like Ananias and Sapphira So anyway So God would not spare Judah because why? Because of Manasseh turn to 2nd Kings chapter 21, and I believe that Manasseh got saved Now I do I believe Manasseh got saved, and he was a really wicked person. He was a really wicked king He'd done war stuff than almost anybody else Turn to 2nd Kings 21 verse 10 2nd Kings 21 verse 10 The Bible says 2nd Kings 21 10 says and the Lord spake by his servants the prophets saying Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations and hath done wickedly Above all that the Amorites did which were before him and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel behold I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that whosoever heareth of it Both his ears shall tingle And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab And I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipe at the dish Wiping it and turning it upside down So I mean you have that picture you got your your food that you just got done eating right there's still some residue Just wipes it clean turns it up I picture of just like rinsing the dish and then turn it upside down so the water Could be I mean totally wipes it clean right? That's what he's saying that he's gonna do to Judah, Jerusalem Verse 14 and I'll forget the remnant of mine inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies because they have done that which was evil in my sight and have provoked provoked me to anger since The day their fathers came forth out of Egypt even unto this day Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much Till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another So why why is God doing this because of what Manasseh basically Manasseh was the camel or the straw that broke the camel's back Right and he had shed much innocent blood Beside his sin wherewith he made Judah the sin in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord Now look at skip down to verse 20 well skip over a couple more chapters to chapter 23 second Kings 23 look at verse 25 Second Kings 23 verse 20 or chapter 23 20 verse 25 And like unto him was there no king before I'm talking about Josiah That turned to the Lord with all of his heart and with all his soul and with all of his might According to all the law of Moses neither after him arose there any like him So he was a great king. Amen look at verse 26 notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah because Of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him with haul and the Lord said I'll remove Judah out of my sight As I have removed Israel and will cast off this city Jerusalem Which I have chosen and the house of which I said my name shall be there. So there it is right there I mean he said I'm not I'm you know It doesn't matter how how much he turned to him. He still is going to destroy Jerusalem and Judah because of the things That Manasseh did turn to 2nd chronicles chapter 33 2nd chronicles chapter 33 2nd chronicles 33 verse number 1 Bible says this Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 50 and 5 years in Jerusalem He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord like under the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord hath had cast out before the children of Israel and he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down and reared up the altars for Balaam and made groves and worshiped all the hosts of heaven and Served them and he built altars in the house of the Lord whereof the Lord had said in Jerusalem shall my name be forever And he built altars for all the hosts of heaven and the two courts Of the house of the Lord and he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom Sacrificed his own children in a fire. That's pretty wicked. I mean, what did he not do? He pretty much did everything you could do to make God super angry, right? He says also he observed times and he used enchantments. He used witchcraft and dealt with the familiar spirit spirit So he's just talking with demons and just hanging out doing witchcraft And with the Wizards and he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger And he said a carved image the idol Which he had made in the house of God of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son in this house And in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel. Well, I put my name forever So he really made God angry He was so angry that even when Josiah turned to him with all his heart and there was no king like him after that God still said nope. It's not enough. The blood had to be punished. The wickedness had to be punished And you know abortion is wicked as hell. Did you know that today? Turning your face from the poor and needy Not giving proper judgment not visiting the widows and the fatherless and their affliction. God is not gonna put up with that But Abortion, I mean do you think God is just gonna sit by and let America keep killing all their their babies? And he's not gonna do anything about it. No, there will be a reaping there will be you know Judgment from God and not just this country, but it's going on everywhere in China They can't even find girls to marry their boys because they've aborted them all Japan is like losing their population You know this this whole thing with Planned Parenthood It's wicked as hell You know Killing children. That's the I mean, it's so funny. The liberals are always like oh, you know, we don't believe in the death penalty How could you Christians believe in the death penalty? How could you believe in abortion? That's what I want to know How can you believe that it's okay to murder a child in the womb the safest place that there is for him And That's the kind of things that Manasseh was doing and allowing to be done in his country at that time So there's nothing new under the Sun. It's always been going on and God is gonna punish The heathen for doing all this wickedness Turn to Psalm chapter 119 And God is always gonna judge the false religion too, there's a stinking psychic house that I drive by on occasion It's got this big hand in the window or whatever. It's off of sr 500 I pray that God burns that place to the ground every time I pass by it every time I go by the Lovejoy Abortion Center in Portland. I pray that God destroys it somehow and kills everybody inside there Maybe then they would wake up. Yeah, it's wicked Psalm 119 104 the Bible says through thy precepts I get understanding therefore. I hate every false way See we're supposed to hate and hate is a strong word isn't it? Hate is the opposite of love okay, and we're supposed to hate every false way Psalm 119 126 if you go down a little bit further Says it is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void by law Therefore I love thy commandments above gold yea above fine gold therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way So are we supposed to love the false way? Hate the sin love the sinner no look anybody that's murdering their own children. I don't like them Now I'm not saying they can't be saved I'm just saying that if they if they are saying that they're saved and they think that abortion is okay Then they're wicked as hell wicked as hell Turn back to Zephaniah chapter one Zephaniah chapter one It just irritates me this whole abortion thing I just thought 6,000 children a day You know six thousand children a day. That's a lot Times that by 365. It's a lot of kids. That's just in this country China's got billions of people how many you think they're aborting a lot India same thing It's just like sacrificing them unto Moloch you know Because they want their sacrifice them for their life to be better or whatever I they don't kick you know at least be responsible. You know be responsible I Just don't understand it But it's just the sign of the times that we're living on where people just think it's okay to call a baby a blob of Tissue it's not a blob of tissue if they go straight to heaven when they die It's not a blob of tissue. They have a soul. They have a spirit. They're going straight to heaven Which is probably good for them because their parents are wicked as hell anyway But it still doesn't excuse the fact that they're murdering their own children. It's murder capital offense murder Zephaniah 1 7 says hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God for the day of the Lord is at hand for the Lord Hath prepared a sacrifice he had hath bid his guests So the day of the Lord it's talking about the day that that Zephaniah is preaching about So there's a there's a day of the Lord in the future that's coming But there was a day of the Lord for them, too And so a lot of times in the Bible you'll have dual meetings for for different passages And you can you can see how some of these parallel some of the things that you see in Revelation and Daniel and the prophetic books But there is like a real-time fulfillment of this and that's when the their day of the Lord came when he let Nebuchadnezzar Come and destroy the temple and kill everybody and take him captive back to Babylon So there is a twofold meaning here when it's talking about the day of the Lord You'll see that as you go through it, but there's like multiple examples of this you know I think Dan just talking about the 70th week prophecy you know how Jerusalem will be destroyed, but again that temple is gonna be built again and He's gonna destroy He's gonna destroy Jerusalem again You know they're all over there right now hating Jesus, but they're gonna get conquered again. You know so There's dual meanings in Scripture So look at verse 8 says and it shall come to pass and that in the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's children and all such as are clothed with strange apparel That's an interesting Way of putting something right like maybe cross-dressing. I don't know strange apparel I mean, what do you think of what you think of strange apparel? You know That's a synonym for queer yes, you're right Anthony It's it's like yeah strange apparel, and you know it's like cross-dressing skinny jeans women's pants Dudes in dresses I was telling Cher there's this lady I got saved and I run into her Walmart, and I say are you still saved and she always says yes, but She hasn't come to church yet, but you know so she might not be really saved just kidding but She still says she saved when I see her every time, but when I got her saved She goes I got to take my son to to work and out of the corner of my eye I saw What appeared to be a dress like it was like a an old lady's style nightgown? You know like as the zip up warm looking ones But it was a dude wearing it that was her son And I just I'd already gotten her saved. You know what am I gonna say? What can I say I was just like oh, man I'm glad he didn't come to the door when I was there. I might have just walked away but There's no new thing under the sun. They were wearing strange stuff back. Then they're wearing strange stuff today And you know people were dressing like queers back in Zephaniah's day. There were sodomites in the land right just I had to get them out And you know God punished the people for dressing queer back then he's gonna punish people for dressing like it today, too And you know strange apparel could also be the kind of junk that you put on your bodies Like have you seen some people wearing strange apparel in Portland before? like you know the Where I was drunk with Richard. He's got an interview. I said You know those little things you can cut out the and have like the glass where you can see their teeth I said if you do that you get the job right off. I mean they're He's like should I dye my hair pink He's a shoo-in I said just give some gauges in your ears, and you'll get the job for sure Joking around though because That would be disgusting if I saw Richard with pink hair. I'd kick him out instantly You know, but people putting kool-aid in their hair and pouring water on it or whatever. I mean, it's just weird That's strange isn't it that's strange apparel to me You know if you're walking around with all kinds of hooks in your face and stuff I mean, I just I don't understand it I don't understand the allure of looking weird, but you know the Bible says that they were wearing It says I will punish the princes and the Kings Children and all such as our clothes with strange apparel, and that's what the Bible says right He's gonna punish the ones that are wearing the weird clothes Because that's what it is strange means weird or queer, right? Zephaniah 1 9 says in the same day also will I punish? Those that leap on the threshold Which fill their masters houses with violence and deceit and it shall come to pass in that day sayeth the Lord There shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate and in howling from the second and the great crashing from the hills How you inhabitants of maktosh and all the merchant people are cut down and they that bear silver are cut off and it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with candles and Punish the men that are settled on their leaves that say in their heart the Lord will not do good neither Will he do evil? I thought that was an interesting way of saying that I will search Jerusalem with candles So that's like the equivalent of like going door-to-door with flashlights, right? You know God's gonna bring the candles out Hey, let's make sure we get everybody He's not leaving anybody untouched and especially these clowns that are resting on their leaves basically boozers so what it's talking about and The say in their heart the Lord will not do good or evil that was the problem with the people in Jeremiah's generation and And Zephaniah's generation is that they just would not hear the words of the Lord You know, he was preaching at the same time as Jeremiah was Jeremiah was around at the same time as Josiah was so It says in verse 13 therefore their goods shall become a booty and their house is a desolation They also build houses and not inhabit them and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof The great day of the Lord is near it is near that and haste and hasteth greatly even the voice of the day of the Lord the mighty man shall cry there bitterly So I know this has been a negative sermon But you know you need some negativity in your life sometimes, don't you? But these it says these mighty men will cry bitterly you know the guys that think that they're tough guys in the end They're gonna be crying like little babies in a corner somewhere. You know and the Lord's flashlight is gonna be seeking them out so But then you I mean you start to see parallels with it talking about the real day of the Lord You know the day of the Lord that's coming soon Here and you know it says woe to you if you desire the day of the Lord I don't want people to get killed and to be wiped out You know God God wants everybody to be saved I want everybody to be saved But you know obviously there are people you know the Bible is written It's gonna happen and so what's he say he's gonna punish the earth He's gonna punish the ones that are committed iniquity Those that are not saved are gonna be punished they're gonna be killed they're gonna die and they're gonna go to hell So but we got to save as many as we can while we can Revelation 1 turn over to Revelation 1 I'm almost done Revelation 1 verse 7 says behold he cometh with clouds and Every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him even so Amen so the the speaker here in Revelation 1 7 says even though they're gonna be crying even so amen Amen that they're gonna be whining they had their chance they had their chance to to repent and get saved and they wouldn't do it Verse 8 says I am the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending sayeth the Lord which is which was and which is to come the Almighty Great verse to show that Jesus Christ is God He says he's the Alpha He's the Omega the beginning and the ending Sayeth the Lord which is which was and which is to come the Almighty who's coming back. Jesus is coming back And he's not gonna be Smiling when he comes back He's gonna be angry Revelation 6 turn over there Revelation chapter 6 Revelation 6 verse 10 the Bible says and they cried with a loud voice saying how long the Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth and White robes were given unto every one of them and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled and I beheld and he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black As sackcloth of hair and the moon became his blood and the stars of heaven fell Unto the earth even as the fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind and the heaven departed as a scroll when it's rolled together and every mountain an Island were moved out of their places and the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains And the mighty men and every bond man and every free man hid themselves in the dens And in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us And hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of His wrath has come and who shall be able to stand the answer to that question is nobody nobody's gonna be able to stand and Does it sound like Jesus is smiling in the Great Tribble? You know when all this is happening when he comes back to sound like he's gonna be happy with everybody No, it sounds like he's gonna judge the world for their iniquity. That's what he's gonna do I Was just sick of this mentality and Christianity where it's just always happy happy joy joy grace grace grace grace Ice cream ice cream ice cream, you know, look if there's got to be some negativity people aren't gonna change Under saying grace grace grace all the time. It's just not gonna happen There's got to be judgment judgment judgment judgment sometimes It sounds like Zephaniah in a time of good Said I'm gonna preach a negative message whether you like it or not And that's the right thing to do in season out of season Zephaniah 1 15 let's finish it off Says that day is the day of wrath a day of trouble and distress a day of wastedness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominess a day of clouds and thick darkness a Day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities and against the high towers and I'll bring distress upon men that they Shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord and their blood shall be poured out as dust and their flesh As the dumb that doesn't sound like a very pretty picture. Does it I mean just thinking that think about that blood being poured out Like you're pouring out a pitcher of blood. It's pretty gross neither Verse 18 neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy For he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land You see how it kind of goes back and forth to talking about Judah and then talking about you know The time of the end there's dual meanings in those there's a future There's a future partaking of the scripture in the Great Tribulation in the Great Tribulation on the day of the Lord so once Christ comes and takes And takes and rescues all those people and raises the dead then that's when the wrath comes half hour later fireballs start coming and Nobody's gonna be able to stand and all the tough guys and all the mighty men all those guys all the rich men Try you can't buy your way to heaven Your silver and gold aren't gonna do anything for you You know because God's not mad at you though God's not mad That's the message that you're getting today in Christianity, it's disgusting God's never mad at you be free, bro You're so caught up in the Old Testament. You're caught up in in all the bad. You know the negativity, bro Just do whatever you want get that Christian tattoo oh There's no such thing as a Christian tattoo Just saying you can put Ephesians whatever six one or whatever You can put whatever verse you want on you, but God's never gonna say that's a Christian tattoo He's never gonna say it Look if you have a tattoo. I'm not mad at you God might be but I'm not no I just I'm just kidding, but you know I'm just sick of this mentality in Christianity That is just you know you're always negative. I'm not always negative. I'm positive sometimes You know you're not gonna hear a positive sermon this Sunday either, so if you were looking for positivity It's not happening this weekend either We've got to leave you with a nuclear bomb before I leave to the Philippines, right? Anyway, when I get let's say we'll have one more sermon out of this and then when I get back We'll finish the book off. Let's pray dear Lord. We thank you so much for the scriptures. We thank you Lord that You're a God of judgment and a God of mercy And I just pray that you would bless each and every person that came tonight pray if there's someone here That's not saved Lord that they would before they leave this building that they would trust you as their Savior Jesus name Amen