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Sermon
#35 Zechariah
Series Title: ÒI will save my people!Ó Text: Zechariah
8:1-23 Subject: GodÕs
Determination to Save His People Date: Sunday
Morning — August 20, 2006 Tape
# Zechariah
#35 Reading: Zechariah
8:1-23 1.
Again
the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 2.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I
was jealous for her with great fury. 3.
Thus
saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of
Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of
the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. 4.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the
streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5.
And
the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the
streets thereof. 6.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of
this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith
the LORD of hosts. 7.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country,
and from the west country; 8.
And
I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they
shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. 9.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days
these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the
LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. 10.
For
before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was
there any peace
to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men
every one against his neighbour. 11.
But
now I will not
be unto the
residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts. 12.
For
the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give
her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the
remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13.
And
it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah,
and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear
not, but let
your hands be strong. 14.
For
thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers
provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not: 15.
So
again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house
of Judah: fear ye not. 16.
These
are the things
that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the
judgment of truth and peace in your gates: 17.
And
let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love
no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD. 18.
And
the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying, 19.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the
fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of
Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and
peace. 20.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants
of many cities: 21.
And
the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray
before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22.
Yea,
many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in
Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23.
Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out
of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him
that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. Introduction How often we need encouragement
to believe God!
We are so easily discouraged by the things we see around us and by the evil
that rages within us. How often we need encouragement
to serve him! We
seek to do well, but very quickly grow weary in well-doing. Our hands hang
down. Our knees are feeble. And we are easily turned aside from the path of
duty. How often we need encouragement
in the work of the Gospel! The Church of God is, in this world, the pillar and ground of the
truth. It is our privilege and responsibility to hold forth the light of
the Gospel in this dark world. It is our privilege and responsibility to preach the
Gospel of Christ to this generation. Our God has put the treasure of the Gospel of his grace
and glory in Christ Jesus in these earthen vessels; and we are to carry it
into all the world. But there is so much opposition. There seems to be so little
interest, so
little response,
so little fruit,
so little success. It is ours to
evangelize the world, to preach the gospel by every means available to us, to as many
people as possible in the days allotted to us. What a great privilege! What a
great responsibility! What a great honor! Yet, like the children of
Israel, who were sent back to Jerusalem to build the house of God, we soon
grow weary and are easily turned aside from our work by many things. How excited those
Jews were when they began to clear away the rubbish! Can you imagine how they must
have rejoiced
when they saw the foundation stone laid for the temple, or when they saw the
walls beginning to go up? Then, they began to meet with some opposition. Some among them began to murmur.
Soon, the whole band of laborers, so zealous in the beginning, became
faint-hearted, doubting that the work would ever amount to much, even if they
finished it. They finally decided that the work of building GodÕs house was
just impossible. So they gave it up. They quit their work and devoted
themselves to other things. No doubt, they intended to return to the building of the
temple; but other things kept coming up. How often I have seenÉ á
Once
zealous, devoted pastors, men who were addicted to the study of the Word of God and the
preaching of the Gospel, become half-hearted in their labors, addicting
themselves to other things! — A Career! — Golf! — Hunting! —
Fishing! — Social Work! — Politics! á
Once
zealous missionaries quit the field, as though God had changed his mind and really
intended for them to do something else! á
Once
zealous churches,
churches once known for their determination to spread the Gospel, become
isolated, indifferent, and so self-absorbed that they do nothing and give
nothing for the cause of Christ, but simply meet together to debate doctrine,
defend their creed, and congratulate themselves for their greatness! —
No Evangelism! — No Missionary Work! — No Witnessing! á
Once
devoted believers,
once anxious to worship God, hear his Word, and do everything they could to
publish it, become lethargic and indifferent to Christ, his glory, and the
building of his house! Zechariah
8 was written in the Book of God specifically to encourage us to go on, to run with patience the race
that is set before us, to endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ, to lift
up the hands that hang down, and to strengthen the feeble knees. ZechariahÕs
message in this chapter is all encouragement. In these twenty-three verses
Zechariah is saying, ÒTherefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.Ó Salvation
Sure In verses 1-8 the prophet of God tells us that
the salvation of GodÕs elect is sure, a matter of unquestionable certainty.
The Lord God declares, ÒBehold, I will save my people!Ó I readily concede that the passage before us
refers, literally and historically, to the great prosperity of Jerusalem
after the people were delivered from their Babylonian captivity, when the
city and the temple were rebuilt. But if that is all that we see in these
verses, we have missed the message of God the Holy Spirit. That which is
written here was written to us and for us. The whole chapter declares and assures us of GodÕs
great grace determined upon his elect in Christ (1 Cor. 10:11; Rom. 15:4). (1
Corinthians 10:11) ÒNow all
these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.Ó (Romans
15:4) ÒFor whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.Ó Eighteen times in
this one chapter God our Savior is called, ÒThe Lord of hosts,Ó assuring us that everything here promised is sure,
because it is all his work. Everything depends entirely upon his power and goodness.
LetÕs just take a brief look at the things our God promises us here. Loving
Jealousy (Zechariah
8:1-2) ÒAgain the word of the
LORD of hosts came to me, saying, (2) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with
great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.Ó As a loving husband
is jealous for (not of, but for) his wife, the object of his ardent love,
determined to allow nothing and no one to come between them, so our blessed
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, declares that he is jealous for us, his
Bride, the Church he ardently loves. He will allow nothing and no one to
separate us from him. — Verse 3É ÒThus saith the
Lord.Ó — DonÕt you love to read
those words? Zechariah uses them again and again, to assure us that he is
conveying GodÕs message to his people. Because of his loving jealousy for
us, our God and Savior declares, ÒI am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst
of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain
of the LORD of hosts the holy mountainÓ (v. 3; Joel 2:18). (Joel
2:18) ÒThen will the LORD be jealous
for his land, and
pity his people.Ó Because of his love
for us, our Savior has come to Zion and Jerusalem, his Church, his espoused
Bride, his holy city, his holy nation, in mercy and grace, Òto dwell in
the midstÓ of
her, taking up permanent abode with us and in us. á
In
the Incarnation (John 1:14). á
In
salvation (Isa. 25:9). (Isaiah
25:9) ÒAnd it shall be said in
that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him,
we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.Ó á
Reviving
our hearts with grace (Song. 5:1). He who is the Truth,
abiding in his people, makes his Church Òa city of truth.Ó The presence of Christ makes his
Church, Òthe house of the living God,Ó Òthe mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy
mountain.Ó It
shall be exalted in the last days upon the tops of
the mountains, and all nations shall flow to it (Isa. 2:2-4; Mic.
4:1-4; Rev. 14:1). (Isaiah
2:2-4) ÒAnd it shall come to
pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LordÕs house shall be established in the top
of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall
flow unto it. (3) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach
us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word
of the LORD from
Jerusalem. (4) And
he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they
shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more.Ó (Micah
4:1-4) ÒBut in the last days it
shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established
in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and
people shall flow unto it. (2) And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go
up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he
will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall
go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (3) And he shall judge among many
people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up
a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (4) But they shall sit every man
under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of
hosts hath spoken it.Ó (Revelation
14:1) ÒAnd I looked, and, lo, a
Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his FatherÕs
name written in their foreheads.Ó Blessed
Peace Verses 4 and 5
speak of the blessed peace of GodÕs people. (Zechariah
8:4-5) ÒThus saith the LORD of
hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of
Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. (5) And the streets of the city shall
be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.Ó Without question, ZechariahÕs
words here are not to be limited to the JewsÕ return from Babylon. He is not here talking about the
mere merriment of carnal things, promising joy and peace to old men and women
and little children who are lost. The prophetÕs words are a promise of
spiritual, Gospel blessedness to sinners to whom Christ has come (Jer. 31:11-17; Matt. 2:17-18). (Jeremiah
31:11-17) ÒFor the LORD hath
redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. (12) Therefore they shall come and sing
in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD,
for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of
the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not
sorrow any more at all. (13) Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men
and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort
them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. (14) And I will satiate the soul of the
priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
saith the LORD. (15) Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for
her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. (16) Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy
voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be
rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the
enemy. (17) And
there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come
again to their own border.Ó Matthew 2:17-18 tells us that this prophecy finds
its fulfillment in this Gospel day, by the coming of our Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ to our souls, to dwell in us. Yes, there is a day coming when
our joy and peace will be perfect and without interruption; but even now
chosen, redeemed sinners, trusting Christ, walking through this world have Òthe
joy of faithÓ and
Òpeace that passeth understanding.Ó á
Old
saints, stooped
with age, still have their Staff, the Lord Jesus, in their hands, and lean
heavily upon him. á
The
Church of God is his family, and his quiver is always full, full of boys and girls, the
children of God, Òplaying and dancing,Ó singing and praising. á
Children
playing in the streets of Zion are representatives of fearless peace. — There is no war, or
danger, where children play in the streets. á
If
that is what it is like now, just imagine what it will be like when our
God makes all things new! No
Difficulty It seemed impossible
to Israel that the temple and Jerusalem would be rebuilt, just as it often
seems impossible to us that our God is building and will build his kingdom
and complete it. It seems impossible to carnal reason. So, in verse 6, the
Lord graciously assures us that there are no difficulties with him. ÒWith God all things are
possible,Ó even
the salvation of our souls! (Zechariah
8:6) ÒThus saith the LORD of
hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these
days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.Ó If you will look at
the marginal translation, you will see that he word ÒmarvellousÓ is really Òdifficult.Ó The Lord
is saying, ÒJust because you think this is difficult, do not imagine that I
do.Ó We must not judge God by our own measure. Though many things
may be difficult (even impossible) for us, there are no difficulties with
God. We should never think of ÒdifficultyÓ and ÒDeityÓ at the same time. ÒWith God all
things are possible.Ó Are you in trouble? Do you fear that it is impossible for you to
be delivered? It is easy for God to deliver you. Do you feel the weight of
your sin, and imagine that it is impossible for you to be pardoned? Would you look upon
it as a miracle; because it seems so marvelous to you? ÒMy thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.Ó Between God and
man there is infinite difference. Let us never look at our God through the smudged,
cloudy glasses of our own feebleness! — Look at verses 7 and 8. God
Will Save (Zechariah
8:7-8) ÒThus saith the LORD of
hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west
country; (8) And
I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they
shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.Ó Yes, God will save
his people. Again, these verses cannot be limited merely to the
restoration of Jerusalem and the regathering of Zion after the Babylonian captivity. In
the days of Zechariah, none of the children of Israel were in the Western
world. Here, the Lord God assures us that by his great power, because of his
great love, according to his great covenant he will gather his elect Òfrom
the rising of the sun to the going down of the sameÓ out every nation, kindred, tribe
and tongue (Mal. 1:11; Luke 13:29; Hosea. 2:23). (Malachi
1:11) ÒFor from the rising of
the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in
every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall
be great among
the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.Ó (Luke
13:29) ÒAnd they shall come from
the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in
the kingdom of God.Ó (Hosea
2:23) ÒAnd I will sow her unto
me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy;
and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou
art my God.Ó To
The Work With such promises
and assurances, in verses 9-15, the Lord commands us to get back to the work of
preaching the Gospel, gathering his elect, building his house. WeÕve heard the his Word by the
mouth of his prophets. Our mighty Zerubbabel, who laid the foundation will
build his Temple. He will finish his work with shoutings of, ÒGrace! Grace
unto it!Ó
Everything in these verses speaks of the mercy, love and grace of God toward
his people in Christ, assuring us that he will accomplish his purpose of
grace in the salvation of all his elect. á
So ÒLet
your hands be strongÓ (vv. 9 and 13). á
God
will make the work prosperous. He declares, ÒI will cause the remnant of
this people to possess all these thingsÓ(v. 12). — All the blessings of grace and
glory! (Zechariah
8:12) ÒFor the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give
her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give
their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.Ó Robert Hawker wroteÉ ÒThe peace
here promised, is, peace in the blood of the cross. Before the soul is brought
savingly acquainted with this, there can be no real peace to him that goes
out, or to him that cometh in. But, when the curse of the fall is taken away
by the redemption in Christ Jesus, then is the believer blessed, both in
basket and in store. Then, to use the figurative language of this scripture
in a spiritual sense, the vine of ordinances, and the increase of bread, even the bread of life, and the
dew of heaven, in
all the covenant blessings of the promises, will be poured out.Ó á
ÒYe
shall be a blessingÓ
(v. 13). á
God
is determined to do well to Jerusalem and to Judah, the people of his choice.
— ÒFear ye notÓ (v. 15). Fruit
of the Spirit (Zechariah
8:16-17) ÒThese are the things that ye shall do; Speak
ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and
peace in your gates: (17) And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against
his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.Ó When God pours out
his grace upon sinners, making those who were a curse a blessing, working in
them to will and to do of his good pleasure, good works of mercy and love are
sure to follow (Eph. 2:8-10). ÒThen all
the fruits of the Spirit will be manifest in the life and conversation of the
redeemed; and all the blessed effects here spoken of, speaking truth to his
neighbour, and executing judgment, will follow. Oh! the glorious consequences
of the coming of the Lord Jesus, in the hearts of those who live under his
gracious influences!Ó (Robert Hawker) Joy
and Gladness The Jews had kept
there own fasts of sorrow all the time they were in Babylon, commemorating
their captivity. What a sad picture! Every form of religion invented by
men is a celebration of sorrow and bondage! Christ sets the captive free; and when he does everything is Òjoy
and gladness, and cheerful feasts,Ó celebrating and rejoicing in him who is Truth and Peace. (Zechariah
8:18-19) ÒAnd the word of the
LORD of hosts came unto me, saying, (19) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The
fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh,
and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness,
and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.Ó Faith in Christ
gives a perpetual feast (Isa. 25:6-9). (Isaiah
25:6-9) ÒAnd in this mountain
shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a
feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the
lees well refined.
(7) And he will
destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and
the veil that is spread over all nations. (8) He will swallow up death in
victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the
rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
(9) And it shall
be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we
will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.Ó When we are most troubled
with difficulties, afflictions and trials, the consolations of Christ most
abound, turning our sorrows into laughter. ÒThey that sow in tears shall reap
joy.Ó
Every tear of grace is a tear of holy joy (Ps. 126:1-6; Rom. 14:17). (Psalms
126) ÒWhen the LORD turned again
the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. (2) Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, and our
tongue with singing:
then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.
(3) The LORD
hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. (4) Turn again our captivity, O LORD,
as the streams in the south. (5) They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. (6) He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing
his sheaves with him.Ó (Romans
14:17) ÒFor the kingdom of God
is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost.Ó One
Jew In verses 20-23 The
Lord God tells us that many people, from many cities and strong nations,
shall come, and come Òspeedily,Ó into his house of his grace, Òout of all languages
and nations,Ó
seeking the Lord of hosts and worshipping him, taking hold of the skirt of
one Jew, saying, ÒWe will go with you: for we have heard that God is with
you.Ó (Zechariah
8:20-23) ÒThus saith the LORD of
hosts; It shall yet
come to pass, that
there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: (21) And the inhabitants of one city
shall go to another,
saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I
will go also.
(22) Yea, many
people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem,
and to pray before the LORD. (23) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall
come to pass, that
ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall
take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that
God is with you.Ó You know who that
one Jew is. DonÕt
you? He is the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, the Son of God who became the
Son of Man that he might redeem and save his people! When the Lord
Jesus sends his Spirit to give sinners life in his regenerating grace, he spreads his skirt over his
chosen, and says ÒLive;Ó and the sinner dead in trespasses and sins lives (Ezek.
16:8). (Ezekiel
16:8) ÒNow when I passed by
thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my
skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and
entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest
mine.Ó And when he causes
the dead to hear his voice, the regenerate soul takes hold of the skirt of
his righteousness by faith, and says, ÒI will go with you, because I have heard that
God, in all his fulness and in all the fulness of his grace and glory is in
you.Ó — With GodÕs prophet, my heart cries, ÒI will go also!Ó Oh may God the Holy Spirit cause you now to
take hold of his skirt by living faith, that you may be saved in the Lord
with everlasting salvation and worship him forever! Great God of all
grace, ÒDo good in
thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of JerusalemÓ (Ps. 51:18), for ChristÕs sake. Blessed Lord Jesus come forth in all the sovereignty of your
grace and power, conquering and to conquer, subduing sinners by the scepter
of your grace, causing your chosen in this day of your power to gladly take
Òhold of the skirt of him that is a
Jew, saying, we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.Ó Amen. |
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