I am convinced that there are few people in this world that clean a house better than my mother. It is borderline obsessive. She has an eagle-eye for dirt that is second to none. And I learned at a very young age that there is only way to clean things – her way. For example the kitchen floor can only be cleaned on your hands and knees scrubbing it in a certain way. There are only certain cleaning products that you can use. Do you know how many uses there are for white vinegar?

My mother’s fanaticism multiplied ten-fold in December. With the impending arrival of family for Christmas, my three brothers and I were given our chores written out in neat lists with explanations on how to carry out each one in a specific manner. A bed that was made to quickly was certainly going to be redone. I can’t prove it, but I think she could actually hear from three rooms away if we did not dust every thing in a room. It was remarkable. Now that I am older, though, I really do appreciate it.

As you prepare for Christmas parties and Christmas guests, I am sure that many of you will be cleaning house. In our busyness, let us not forget to prepare our hearts by hearing the comforting message of God’s Word. This morning the prophet Zephaniah shows us How the Lord Cleans House.

I. A proper cleaning regimen has to include sweeping. I am not a big fan of sweeping, but with two large dogs running around the house, we have to sweep just about every day. But then even after we sweep, we can usually find little yellow and black hairs around.

When the Lord sweeps, it is a different story. When he cleans house, he sweeps away all his enemies. The prophet Zephaniah proclaimed God’s message of universal judgment. He prophesied that God would sweep away the nations of Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush, and Assyria. All these nations surrounded God’s people and his swift sweeping judgment would be upon them for their idolatry and pagan ways. God’s judgment was not just reserved for these foreign nations though. His judgment was also going to be upon Jerusalem and Judah. They had sinned too.

The prophet Zephaniah spoke of these temporal judgments on God’s people, but he brought a message that was even more alarming. God is going to clean house of every enemy on the Last Day. Zephaniah 1:2 says, “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth.” That is God’s judgment - his punishment for sin.

Do you understand that we all deserve that punishment – to be swept away by God and sent to the fires of hell? I hope you do. Our sins are serious offenses to God. And he does not look the other way. He does not pretend that they don’t exist. He won’t just sweep them under the rug. Our sins made us God’s enemies. The Lord cleans house by sweeping his enemies away.

God sweeps away his enemies. But our status has changed with God. Zephaniah wrote: “The Lord has taken away your punishment.” The great enemy of God, Satan, has been defeated and along with him death and hell have been conquered also. The Lord swept away the devil by sending his Son to our redeemer. Christ Jesus not only defeated Satan with his perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, but the Savior also unlocked heaven for us by forgiving us of all our sins.

That is the most important message of the Bible. Every word, every page, chapter, book, and testament points to one fact. “The Lord has taken away your punishment.” He swept away the great enemy and changed us from his enemies to his children.

II. When we were kids, we couldn’t wait for company to arrive at Christmas. That meant no more cleaning. All the mops, Windex, and dust rags were put away. Our lists were all crossed out and we could finally sit and relax when our guests got arrived.

Because the Lord cleaned house he now let’s us relax. Zephaniah wrote, “He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” What a picture of our heavenly Father! These words describe how much he loves his children.

This picture means even more to me now that I am a father. There are times now when I lay my son down in his crib and just watch him sleep. It is one of the true joys of fatherhood to see your child at peace. It makes me so thankful for the precious gift that God has given me.

Now think about the love that God has for his children, love that quiets us with an eternal peace. He dotes on his children. He rejoices over his children. He wants nothing more than for us to join him in heaven. When we make it there, we will finally relax. We will have no more sin, no more strife, no more suffering, sickness, or trouble.

III. That which makes us holy makes us happy. We rejoice in the love our heavenly Father showers on us. Zephaniah reminds us of this great joy and the appropriate response that believers have. “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!”

It is so easy this time of year to succumb to the temptation to be down in the dumps, to be overwhelmed. It is so easy for us to drop to our knees in self-pity every chance we get. It is so easy to let the devil have his way with us and cause us to argue and fight over petty things. He wants to suck the joy out of this season and our life.

Don’t let the devil have his way. Concentrate on the message of Zephaniah. The Lord has taken your punishment away. Sing! Shout aloud! Rejoice! The Lord has swept the house clean and gives us peace. Thanks be to God!

I have to let you know that I was very hesitant to talk about my mother’s cleaning obsession this morning. I have this sense that she can probably hear all the way in Florida. And so I will say it again, I really do I appreciate her house cleaning. With really no comparison though, I appreciate the housecleaning the Lord has done for us. May it fill you with joy also. The Lord is coming! Rejoice!