Sunday School Lesson

1. Zephaniah 1–2
“EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE”
March 8, 2015
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
The Glory of God!
http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.607995021124832962&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0
1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
March Memory Verse:
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Spring 2015 (March – May)
Lessons in the Minor Prophets
Nahum
Zephaniah
Obadiah
(Easter Lessons)
Zechariah
Habakkuk
Malachi

2. References
• Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture
by Herbert Schlossberg, Crossway Books, 1990.
• Knowing God by J. I. Packer, InterVarsity Press, 1973.
• The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997
The Minor Prophets
• Hebrew Bible treats these as a single book
– “The Book of the Twelve Prophets”
• English versions separate into 12 books based on the name of the Prophet
• Not in chronological order in Bible
• Major vs. Minor – based on length of writing
• Only 4 mentioned elsewhere in Bible (Micah, Jonah, Haggai, Zechariah)
The Common Message of the Minor Prophets
• Reaffirming God’s love and plans for Israel beyond His judgment on their
sin
• The sins of Israel are reflective of the sins of all humanity
• Judgment and Salvation (Restoration)
Minor Prophets Timeline

3. Minor Prophets Timeline
The Prophet Zephaniah
• Ministry was probably from 635-625 B.C.
• Was a contemporary of Prophet Jeremiah
• During rein of King Josiah 640 – 609 B.C.
– Josiah was anointed Judah’s King age 8 years
– Reigned for 31 years
– Instituted religious reforms in last years of Zephaniah’s ministry 628
B.C.
– Reforms began with discovery and reading of Book of the Law (2
Kings 22:8)
• Zephaniah means “the Lord hides”
• Zephaniah 2:3 “It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s
anger.”
• Themes
– “The Day of the Lord” – continues from Joel
– Proclaims the promise of eventual salvation for the believing
remnant of Israel
Big Picture of Zephaniah
• God is Creator with history beginning at creation and ending with final
judgment at the end of time
• Each human will be accountable before God for his/her life on earth
• In the final days of earth, Israel will be regathered and become a source
of blessing to the world, fulfilling it’s original destiny

4. Zephaniah 1:1
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of
Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son
of Amon, king of Judah.
- Zephaniah’s great-great grandfather was King Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.)
- Hezekiah instituted religious reforms
- Zephaniah had credibility by his genealogy
- Hezekiah & Josiah in Jesus’ lineage: Matt 1:10
“The Day of the Lord” in Zephaniah
• A vision of judgment specific to Judah (Israel) with the Exile and at the
end of time
• A vision of a day or a time of judgment for the whole earth
– The Tribulation Period of 7 years?
– Daniel’s 70th Week in Daniel 9
• Mentioned 16 times in the O.T. & 4 in N.T.
Zephaniah’s Prophecy
Zephaniah 1:2-7
The Great Day of the LORD
2 “I will utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the Lord;
3 “I will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the land,”
Says the Lord.
4 "I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—

5. 5 Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord,
But who also swear by Milcom;
6 Those who have turned back from following the Lord,
And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him."
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
For the day of the Lord is at hand,
For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
He has invited His guests.
Zephaniah 1:2-7
Zephaniah 1:12
12 "And it shall come to pass at that time
That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men
Who are settled in complacency,
Who say in their heart,
'The Lord will not do good,
Nor will He do evil.’
Zephaniah 1:12
Zephaniah 1:14-18
14 The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
15 That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.

6. 17 “I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the Lord;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse.”
(Those who rejected Jesus’ blood sacrifice will pay with their own blood)
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 will make speedy riddance
Of all those who dwell in the land.
Zephaniah 1:14-18

7. Zephaniah 2:1-2
“A Call to Repentance”
1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O undesirable nation,
2 Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you!
3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord's anger.
(Zephaniah means ‘you will be hidden’)
Lesson Applications
What were the chief sins of Judah mentioned in Zephaniah?
v. 4-6 - Idolatry
v. 12 – Complacency
Is idolatry the basis for all sins?
Do I have any idols in my life?
Idolatry
First of the 10 Commandments
Exodus 20:2-3
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage.”
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
• Idolatry = Any value or principle that men substitute for God
• 1st Commandment addresses the object of your worship
Idolatry of Israel
• The worship of God was defiled by merging it with the worship of other
gods (idols).
– Syncretism
• The Jewish rituals were combined with the worship practices of the
Canaanite neighbors.
– Statues and representations of gods
• King Josiah in 2 Kings 23 removed and burned all foreign idols from the
Temple and worship altars in the area.

8. Idols listed in Zephaniah
• Milcom (Molech) – god of the Ammonites (Lot’s descendants)
– Child sacrifice
– Astrology
– Sacred prostitution
– Had system of priests
• Baal – means “master or lord”
– Main god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians
– Considered a fertility god and god of nature
– All types of sexual practices with male and female temple
prostitutes
Baal Idol

9. Our Personal Idols
• Everyone has a hierarchy of values and has placed “something” at its
apex, and whatever that that is, is the god he serves.
• What is your priority in life?
• What is most valuable or most important to you?
Idolatry Test
• Are you more worshipful of the blessings of God, or the God of the
blessing?
• What is it, that if God took it away from you, you would turn away from
God?
• What is your greatest fear?
Idolatry in Romans 1:25
Romans 1:24-25
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to
dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for
the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is
blessed forever.
• Worshipping the creation rather than the Creator.
Romans 1:25
• What truth of God was exchanged for a lie to cause the ungodly to
worship the creation?
• The Truth = Only God can give satisfaction and peace to life through Jesus
(Romans 5:1).
• The Lie = The idol of pleasure, lust, fun, and sexual promiscuity can give
satisfaction in life.
• Your idols will always let you down and disappoint.

10. Idolatry is underneath all sin
• Idolatry puts your will and desires above God’s will for you.
• Underneath all other sins, lies a form of idolatry.
• You will not break the other Commandments if you keep the 1st
Commandment.
Secularization
• The turning away of Western Society from the Christian faith.
• In turning away from the worship of God, society turns to something else …
idols.
– Humanism – My right to myself
• The meaning or significance of life is … whatever I want to be.
Examples of Cultural Idols
• Politics – power, position
• Consumerism – greed, affluence, materialism
• Pleasure - sports, recreation, vacations
• Freedom – lifestyle, rights
• Environment –
• Individualism – Feelings are most important; unable to tell someone beliefs
are wrong
Maslow’s New Hierarchy of Needs

11. Personal Idols
• Is this a goal or an idol in my life?
– Self
– Security for lifestyle & retirement
– Self-indulgences – “I deserve it”
– Success – “I’m doing this for you and the kids!”
– Youthfulness –
– Weekend activities
– Children & grandchildren
(You can turn a worthy goal into an obsession that becomes an idol in your life)
Why are idols so dangerous?
• The powers of darkness live in them
2 Corinthians 11:14
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
1 Peter 5:8
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.
How do you destroy the idols in your life?
Zephaniah 2:3
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the Lord’s anger
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you.
Jesus Died to Triumph Over Satan
• Jesus died to triumph over the forces of darkness that idols possess
Colossians 2:15
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of
them, triumphing over them in it.

12. Steps to Destroying Personal Idols
1. Pray for guidance and wisdom
2. Take an inventory of your priorities & fears
3. Apply the “Idol Tests”
4. Ask your spouse or a close friend
5. Confess and repent
6. Let the Holy Spirit rule daily in your life
The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
 Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
 Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to
pay the penalty for our sins.
 The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death explained in
Revelation 21:8.
Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

13. Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
 Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to accept Jesus as our Savior.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
If you have questions or would like to know more, Please, contact First Baptist
Church Jackson at 601-979-1900 or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/