Zechariah 4
Notes
Transcript
Zechariah 4. By Gods Spirt.
Recap where we are in the story.
The angel and wakes Zec up but the visions may have been a taxing experience, then angle asks what do you see?
A lampstand of Gold, with a bowl on top of it 7 lams with 7 lips/ that has a lamp on each. To olive trees on the left and right of side.
Zec asks what is this? Don’t you know? (Why would he ask if he knew?) No, - PPT Why the why don’t you know?.
Then the angle explains the vision is God’s word to Zerubbabel is the governor a long and complicated story (he is also a dansant of king David, is he going to be the everlasting king, no), = “The word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, - not by might, nor by power but by my spirt says the Lord of hosts”.
That God can do all things, move a great mountain and make it like a plain, and Zerubbabel will lay the last stone on the temple as people are shouting Grace grace… and so great is my promise that Zerubbabel that started building the temple, will completed building it. Then the people will know that I Zechariah was send from the Lord to tell them this.
You shall rejoice, and will see the plum line – measuring thing, in the hand of Zerubbabel,
don’t worry, God will do it and you will see Jerusalem prosper again, God is in control and sees it all the earth, the 7 eyes.
Verses 11
What are the olive trees? And Zec asks and he does not get a response so he asks again, a bit different,
2 time; what are the two branches of the olive trees? By the golden pipes that where golden oil comes from… PPT – Who is who?
The response is the same as before don’t you know what these are? No. Angle responds = the 2 anointed ones (2 sons of new oil), who stand by the Lord of the whole earth. Jousha and Zerubbabel? Revelation whiteness? Traditional view, challenged by the words used for anointing…. People are not sure… Who they are I asked smart people, I have a very loos theory, that it is Enoch and Elijah…
Okay back to the main point:
Main point, God works by the power of his Spirt. (Not our power and might).
For the returned exiles; They should all jump up and build the temple; God has said it will happen, and people will rejoice and shout as they lay the final stone on the temple. And all the people should believe that all that Zechariah said will come to pass, but the Spirt of the Lord… They should not look for military power, political power, before resuming the building but trust in Zacharias words that God will clear the path, watch over them, and keep them safe as they obey the prophets words. (Not listen to the complaints, but focus on what God had said, don’t despise the work I called you to build and complete the temple). Rejoice and shouts of Grace, God has showed grace.
What about you, and me? We are not asked to build the temple, but we are to be the temple, a place for the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirt, a God to be, and work. What does that look like in our lives?
Do we need cleaver new technology, ideas, research, programs, money, power, influence, podcasts, books, if I just had that then I would live for Jesus and make a great difference in peoples lives… No…
We don’t need more new ideas and new visions; we need God to do macerals in our and people’s lives. It is by the power of the Holy Spirt, that God works, (Therefor we start with prayer, to get Gods power by his spirt, our mission is impossible if God does not work by his Holy Spirt). To see and experience God, again and again, in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirt, -that is where the power to change us, and the world comes from.
You don’t need a new plan from the best people, for your children, No, we all need God to move them by his spirt or no heart will be changed, - prayer cry, for God to move…
Marriage the same, family, coworkers, none of us get’s heart change apart from the Holy Spirts power and work in our lives.
That work can not be done by force, in war, you have to believe in Jesus, or I will kill you… That does not work, historical it did not. I will give you money and all you want if you follow Jesus, It will not create love for Jesus, what about trying to to trick people to trust in Jesus, we can manipulate and or create fear in people so they have to trust in God. We can change theology so people will accept God… But it will not create the miracle that only God can do by his Spirt.
Everyone who have had their eyes opened to Jesus, and to love him, and trust in him, has had the Holy Spirt, open their eyes to see Jesus… Not because we were cleaver, smart, no because God had mercy on us, and opened our eyes to see, that God loved us first, and now we can love God, but only by the power of God, and it is all of our days, and all our works, that if they are not done in Christ, there will be not change, no fruit, Jesus said apparat form me you can do nothing. (And Paul expanded that, by the Spirt, power of, in Christ).
Why is this important? (We all know this, you saying nothing new, that is good, by do we live it?).
Have you ever wanted to give up? I mean sin is everywhere, brokenness, life is hard, it hurts, sin, shame guilt, my own failings, I don’t think God is there or God is not helping me, we are in a very difficult situation, let’s give up, (throw in the towel?)
God’s people did, they stopped building, they did not want to come back to the land, they were oppressed by their enemies and one another. And they stopped doing the work God had asked them to do… Does that sound familiar? I mean God asked me to… But it is too hard... I can’t do it, that is the point you can’t do it, and that is good because:
How did we start our walk with Jesus? In triumph of our own ideas, our own, might power?
Or was it by the Spirt of the Lord? Being humbled to surrender all to Jesus, mind, heart, love, sin, pain guilt, and a promise that we would get that very Person, that power, to come live in us, I wonder how may times, we try so hard our self, while the power is right with us, all we have to is ask.
Now what kind of power you might say? Well in the text the power of God can move a mountain, we don’t really need that in Denmark (It is a symbol for God being able to do all things that Jesus said to his disciples they could do if needed and they had the smallest faith). We do need Gods Spirt to changes people’s hearts to see know and love Jesus. And to grow in Christ, our sanctification, and bearing fruit and walk in the good works God has laid out for us to walk in.
Do we or you have a routine, where we stop and ask God, remind our self, that it is not about us but about his power working in us? Before you get out of bed? In the shower? In the car? In the meeting? Before school starts. At the breaks. What helps us, to be dependent on the power of God in us? I mean, you would say, prayer, bible reading, yes, that is right, but how do we live it out? By our self and with others, family friends, etc. Are we encouraged that as believers we have this power in us? We might not know what to do most of the time but the Spirt does. Do we extend this to others and encourage them to lift their eyes up to see Jesus, in him it is done.
I think many of you have had experienced this, reading the bible, I hope you have, that a text that you read many times before, the Spirt opens your eyes, and you understand it, and you see the glory of Jesus more that before your understating of God expanded. Experiencing God in prayer, deeply, physically. Getting ideas form God, to help and serve people, make a call, visit, etc. give a gift. And you see God work in it because it was not your ideas, I was the Lords. Giv God glory, praise God, when your are praised, Jakobs story. Why because it gives Goly to God, and sets our eyes on the one that can move mountains, and has all power where we are weak with no power in our self, but in Christ and the power of God we can do all that God has for us to do.
All of our lives are lived in this tension, living in our own strength, or surrendering all the time so there is room for the Spirt to work. God calms the people, you are not strong, I am. I will use my Spirt and my power that way, to help you, to restore you to reinstated you, as new.
Repentance reminding us that it is God’s grace in choosing us, (we often fail, but repentance by the spirts power leads us to) Jesus work, and Holy Spirts power, that leads us to depend on God all the time, and see what God has for us to walk in… Not by might, or power, but in Gods Spirt. A call to depend on, a call for relationship, a call to let God work in us, and trough us.
But you might say it is hard, it might be yes, world is broken I have many worries, fears, pain, sickness, many have sinned agist me and I have sinned… What…
Well, as God said, before and here, God did not come in power and might, but lowly and with no power, as a baby, concurred the by serving, healing, restoring, dying, raising, by Gods Spirt work. Jesus Christ, - God is the same yesterday, today and forever, slow to anger abounding in steadfast love, but will not let the guilt go, but God did provide for all the guilt in Jesus Christ life, death, and resurrection. Restoration of all things… The faithful witnesses…
Fell hopeless? Lost? Sad, mad, frustrated, happy, no direction in life,
Behold look to Jesus, to Gods Spirt to Gods provision, faithfulness,
Round up, - Gospel again.