A Futile Trust

Zephaniah 1:18 ~ "Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth."

What is the predominant reliance of mankind? Where do most people place their trust?

The Christian has found the failure of all worldliness, the unreliability of human ingenuity and the corrosion of manmade hopes. The Christian has one solid foundation--the LORD Jesus Christ.

But those who do not know the LORD... they hold a different trust indeed--an unreliable trust. For those without Christ have only the substance of their own strength to rely upon.

As we enter this day, let us begin with a real concern for the coming wrath of the LORD. Most people do not believe that there is going to come a fiery judgment against all mankind. Due to our rebellion and sin, the LORD will justly judge the whole earth. Consider what our LORD said in Luke 12:49, "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!" I have heard the notion that the LORD Jesus was a pacifist. It is an absolute absurdity. The Prince of Peace is also the Judge of the whole earth. The delay of judgment is for the redemption of all who will believe. But, dear ones, judgment is coming.

And the wrath of God is not a local event, nor is it isolated only to a singular group or nation. The kindled fire of God's anger will consume the whole earth. There will be, as our text indicates, a full and sudden end. What does this tell you? Two things: first, there is no place to hide and second there is no warning. 

Mankind has tried to hide from God since the fall (see Genesis 3:10). In Revelation 6:15-17 we discover the greatest as well as the least desperate to hide from Christ. "Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'” David understood that there was no place to hide from the LORD (see Psalm 139:7-12). When the day of God's wrath falls upon the earth, it will find everyone.

Humanity strives to predict the future. Forecasts and conjectures fill the airwaves. From weather to politics, someone is always trying to foresee what the future holds. But God's judgment will have no predictions from man. It will be a sudden end. And for those who are unfamiliar with the Word of God, it will take them by surprise. Consider Matthew 24:38-39, "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." There will be no forecast prior to the wrath of God.

Let us return to the question at hand for today: what do people trust in outside of the LORD? Our text tells us clearly that their money will be no good on that day. No one will be able to buy their way out of God's anger. Bribes to thwart the plan of God will fall to the ground as merely dust. A great warning and encouragement is given to all who are willing to hear it. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.'" 

Beloved, do you have any hope of escaping the wrath of God because of some measure of personal achievement? Your strength, wisdom and riches are as nothing before the LORD. Reject any vain hope you hold and trust in the LORD alone. Let your testimony be like that of the psalmist in Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." And, my friends, when you have your hope anchored in Christ alone, you need fear no wrath from Him.

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

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