Month: October 2020

419. The Branch will build the Temple

Zechariah 6:12, 13 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Jesus Christ is the Branch. Jesus says, “I will build my church.” The Branch will build the temple = Jesus will build the church. The promise assumes the transfer from the physical symbol of the presence of God on the earth (the temple) to the spiritual reality of the presence of God on the earth (the Church). Jesus builds the Church by sending the Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth. We are the recipients of this promise. The Church as a whole is built up and we, as individual members of it, are built up. The Body of Christ is the temple of the Lord; each believer’s body is a temple of the Lord. God is on the earth and we know where to find Him: we find God in the church that preaches the Gospel, and we find God in the witness of each individual believer.

The Branch will bear the glory. This is “Jesus Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The glory is the presence of God in an inglorious world. The Church bears the glory of God. It doesn’t look like it, but it is true. Jesus did not look like glory (He looked to all the world like another human being), except at the Transfiguration. Each of us does not look like glory, but God sees the glory in us. And we see it by faith.

The Branch will sit and rule on the throne. Jesus is fulfilling this promise for us even today, siting at the right hand of God the Father, ruling the world for the good of His people. Again, we don’t see this happening, so the Lord must tell us what is really happening. And He does in the Word and Promise.

The Branch will be a priest on the throne. Jesus is the High Priest and the King. We, His people, are a kingdom of priests, kings and priests unto our God. As Priest, Jesus promises to bring our prayers and needs before the Lord God. The priesthood of all believers does the same thing in Jesus’ name. Jesus promises to rule as king for the purpose of creating and bringing peace to our hearts and relationships. We believers are Lords of all, while we are Servants of all. We exercise His authority over the Enemies and rule in His name in the service of others. We have the promise.

418. It all comes by God’s Spirit

Zechariah 4:6 This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

The promise inherent in this statement of truth is that it will happen by the spirit of the Lord. It is not specified what it is that will happen or what will come about. The promise only involves the process and the means. It (whatever it is) will be by the spirit, not by might and power. It is worthwhile to remember this promise, for we are tempted to look for unmistakable signs, miracles and wonders. Jesus says, “Unless you see a sign, you will not believe.” 

God can, and has, and will, use might and power like thunder, lightning, wind, storm, fire, earthquake, plague, famine, war, devastation, and other such powerful signs. Many of these “power” signs are judgments of the Law. God can, and has, and will, us might and power to effect good things like healings, casting out demons, nature miracles, resurrections, and such powerful miracles. However, this is not God’s usual or expected way of working in our world and in our lives. God usually, normally, and often works in quiet, unobtrusive, and unnoticeable ways, like in the still, small voice with Elijah. In other words, God doesn’t usually shout; He whispers. The Spirit blows where He wills; you do not see it and you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes.

“You look for signs,” but none will be given, except for the sing of Jonah. In other words, you have the Word of God to reveal God and the Truth and the Kingdom. “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets (God’s Word) neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” The Spirit uses the Word of the Gospel to convince us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Search the Scriptures, for they testify of Christ. Trust the Lord to work through Word and Spirit to reveal the invisible and convince. The Spirit works conversion, gives life, and answers prayers in still, small ways. If the Lord did not tell us in His Word what Is really happening we would not know it. That’s why we need this promise: It is by the Spirit. Keep your eyes and hearts open to believe the Spirit’s working.

417. Our own Vine and Fig Tree

Zechariah 3:10 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.

Living “under the vine and under the fig tree” is a common metaphor for a utopian paradise, in which fertility and abundance is plentiful and ready at hand. It pictures a return to the Paradise of Eden. It is an earthly image of a heavenly reality. This promise will come true at the Second Coming of Christ after the resurrection of all flesh and the Judgment Day. This promise of such an existence came true in the spirit when Jesus announced the Kingdom of God. This kingdom came to earth in the person of the Son of God becoming human and the Holy Spirit entering believing hearts.

Spiritually, believers live in such a spiritual world. The riches of heaven are present and real and at hand for us. We enjoy them as if we were relaxing under our own vines and fig trees. All we need to do is reach up and take hold of the gifts and blessings and riches of God’s abundant mercy and amazing grace. We need the Spirit to grant us the eyes of faith to see where we are living; we live in a perfect environment in which we thrive. Faith is the substance of the things not seen. The spiritual blessings and abundance we have received by receiving Christ is far greater than we are able to believe. For instance, we don’t see the forgiveness of sins and we do not often feel it; but it is nevertheless real and powerful, solid and substantive. Faith grabs the fruit of the vines and trees and enjoys the taste and smell and feel of the spiritual kingdom.

How rich and full is the spiritual life of God living within us! The gospel reveals this wonderful kingdom to us when we receive it with faith. It does not take wild imaginings to see the beauty, nor does it take suspension of disbelief to accept the truth, nor does it take pretending to play the game, nor does it take trying to see the unseen to enjoy the blessings. Faith just sees.

416. Remove Iniquity

Zechariah 3:9 For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua, upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

The Word of God uses many expressions for the forgiveness of sins. In the promise here the Lord says that He will remove the sin of the land in one day. “Remove,” or take away, the iniquity simply means remove from sight, put behind the back, cast into the depths of the sea, and remove as far as the east from the west. In other words, our sins are gone from us. “That land” symbolizes the kingdom of God, all the believers in Christ who will dwell in the eternal life of heaven in God’s Presence. The land is the Promised Land of the people of God. “In one day” is the event of the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. That Friday is the one day. That one day in time affects all of time and eternity. The Infinite God died for infinite sin for all people for all time. What a day that was. We are still living with the wonderful effects of that one day.

The “stone” is Jesus, the rejected stone that became the cornerstone. The “seven eyes” symbolize the all-seeing and all-knowing God. Jesus is God. The stone is engraved with the seal and guarantee that, because of what happened on that one day, all sins for all time are forgiven. We have not a smidgeon of doubt that our sins are really gone, removed forever.

“Removing iniquity” actually has the power to change lives. It is not just that past sins are forgiven, or even that both past and future sins are forgiven; it is an unassailable truth that I, the whole person, am forgiven. “Lord, forgive me.” I do not need to confess each and every sin, but I do need to confess that I am the sinner. I live a sinful life at the same time that I live a forgiven life. When I consciously focus my attention of the forgiven self I will receive the power to actually live a better life. For this reason, I will daily repent and believe the gospel.

415. Clean Clothing

Zechariah 3:4, 5 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.

Joshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus) the high priest (Jesus is our High Priest) stood before the angel of the Lord with Satan beside him to resist him. And Joshua was clothed in filthy clothes. This is a court scene, the court of heaven, picturing Jesus as our High Priest standing before the judge with all our sins clothed upon him. He is obviously guilty, and Satan so accuses Him, as He accuses us of sin and filth and guilt. Satan was right, for Joshua wore the filthy clothes of sin. But Satan was wrong, for He was innocent of Sin while He took our sins (filthy cloths) upon Himself.

Joshua, Jesus, stands in our place before the court of heaven with the Judge on the throne. Then the Promise is spoken: “Take away the filthy clothes (Sin), and clothe Him with a change of clothes, and put a crown on His head.” This is spoken about Jesus, who is the substitute for us. We are promised new and clean clothes. God clothes us with garments of righteousness. In these clothes we stand acquitted in the Judgment and we are invited into heaven. This is the promise: new clothes! These new, white and clean clothes are earned for us and given to us by Jesus Christ.

In a parable one man came to the wedding feast in his own clothes, without a wedding garment. He was thrown out of the heavenly feast into the eternal fire. God promises us we may approach the throne of God dressed in righteous clothing, clean and bright. We who have received Jesus Christ are clothed with a change of clothes. We don’t see the righteous clothing that we wear, but God sees it. And so He tells us in the Word what is really going on in our heart. Now we believe it and by faith we see it. We stand before the King every day, and if we could see what God sees we would think differently of ourselves. We would think differently of God’s righteous judgment. We would think differently of Satan’s lying accusations. When we believe we have a righteous, eternal life along with a crown upon the head. Believe and see.

414. Joined to the Lord

Zechariah 2:11 And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day; and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

The prophecy is that many nations, or peoples, will be joined to the Lord in the Messianic Age. All these people that are united with the Lord will be His People, and the Lord will dwell in the midst of them all. The prophecy is being fulfilled in the days of the New Testament since the Christ-Event. The promise for us is that we will be joined to, or united with, the Lord. This is good news because we are born alienated and separated from the Lord, and we have no way of getting back with Him until we are cleansed of sin. Jesus Christ brings us from separation to union, from alienation to oneness, from isolation to connection, from darkness to light, and from death to life. This is the wonderful promise of “joining.”

This “union” with God is not an easy concept to grasp or to understand the meaning of. It is hard to explain what it means to be “in Christ.” But such ignorance on our part does not deny the truth of the promise. God and me are One, although not in the same sense that God and Jesus are One. We are in God and God is in us, but we do not become gods. Nevertheless, we are one is some mysterious way with Jesus the God-man and therefore with God the Father (who did not become human). We take the promise of “joining” by faith and we enjoy the benefits. We do not need to have the mind understand or explain it. It just is. How are we all one with God? We don’t know how; we believe the fact.

We are also His people and He dwells with us. Jesus made us the people of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The bond that we share with other believers and with God is deep, intimate and profound, but it is also wonderful, comforting and thoroughly enjoyable.

413. Dwell in the Midst

Zechariah 2:10,11 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.

This promise causes singing and rejoicing in the Church, for the lord comes and will dwell in the midst of His people, and in the midst of each individual believer. The Bible records this kind of promise of the near presence of God in various ways: God is with us; God surrounds us; the Lord is near to us, and He is in us are some examples. We also come into the Presence of the Lord; take refuge in Him; run into the Temple of the Lord; go to heaven; and enter the kingdom of God are examples of us moving to be with the Lord. Either way, whether we go to God or God comes to us, it is the same thing. Although, it is better to say, “I am going with Jesus,” than to say, “Jesus, come with me,” since we can’t ask Jesus to go with us if we are going the wrong way.

The point is clear: The Lord lives in our midst. The promise is necessary, since we don’t always feel or sense the presence of God. But of course, the truth does not depend upon our feelings; it depends on God’s promise. And we have His sure Word: He is with us whether we are aware of it or not. Our conscious awareness of the presence and nearness and within-ness of God is not always going to be possible, but we can intentionally remember the promise and reactivate the truth that the Lord God is in fact living in us. The more often we become conscious and aware of the presence of God within the more we experience love, peace and joy. There some things we can do to increase our awareness of what is always true: for example we go to church, we read and hear the Word, we go to Communion, we remember our Baptism, we fellowship and pray with believers, and such like activities.

412. A Wall

Zechariah 2:4, 5 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: For I , saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

The promise is that the Lord will be a wall of fire around us, and He will be the glory in us. Walls were very important for the safety of settlements for much of human history. Marauding armies and bandits would raid, pillage and plunder unwalled villages on a regular basis. Most people lived in fear until they could build and live inside walled towns and cities. Building a wall around Jerusalem after the Exile was a driving passion for Nehemiah, for example. Literal walls do not have the same meaning for us in the modern age; different measures are taken for the protection of a nation’s citizens. But the symbolism of “walls” was not lost on the Biblical readers. Walls were absolutely necessary to live in comfort, safety and protection from enemies and bad guys.

The promise is that we will not need literal, physical walls for protection, since we have the Lord Himself as a wall of fire round about. The picture is clear. The promise is sure. Our spiritual enemies, marauders, raiders and invaders are always around us seeking to attack and destroy. Our spiritual life will never be safe and secure if the Lord were not a “wall of fire” around us. Sin, Death, and Satan are always about, scouting, and planning an attack on the soul. Not only did the Lord save us from our enemies, but also He continually protects us from enemy attack. The Lord Himself is our strong and high wall, our mighty fortress, the safe place, and the secure castle in which we can live freely and safely. Our prayers remind us that we are always under God’s care and protection, as behind a wall of fire. Our prayers build up a “hedge of thorns” around us to keep the devil out. What Adam failed to do (keep the devil out) our Lord Jesus Christ does for us.

Also, the Lord will be the glory in the midst of us. “Jesus Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Not only is God around about us as Shepherd, King and Protector, He is also within us, in our very heart and soul. His presence makes life glorious. We do not have to reach for heaven to find the glory; it is in the midst of us. Live there.

411. Comfort and Choose

Zechariah 1:17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

God promises prosperity, spiritual prosperity, for the “cities of God,” that is, the Church. The Church will spread abroad, which she has done even unto the ends of the earth. The Church, and we ourselves individually, may not appear to be living in prosperity according to the world’s standards. However, the spiritual and eternal blessings we have received are way beyond counting. Who could put a number of forgiveness, life and eternal salvation? And, furthermore, it grows.

God promises that He will comfort the Church. The people of God, wherever they are, whenever they live, and whoever they are, will find comfort in the cross and resurrection of Christ. Many Biblical promises deal with comfort, the kind of comfort that comes from unconditional love and personal tender care, the kind of comfort that actually calms and secures the troubled heart, and the kind of comfort that enables me to live securely and happily in the presence of our loving God.

God promises that He will still choose Jerusalem, the Church, the believers in Christ. This is actually a bigger deal and a more wonderful promise that it might seem to us at first blush. First, God has chosen me; it is much more comforting and assuring to me that He chose me, not that I chose Him; I can change my mind, but God won’t. Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you [John 15:16].” My salvation is all of God; God has done it; God will finish what He started. Choosing means that God could have done something else; He didn’t have to choose me, but he did so assuredly because He set His love upon me. I can live happily and well all the time simply in the assurance that the Lord has chosen me specially. We may rejoice with exceeding joy, “I am special; I am chosen; I belong to my Beloved. A loving God chose to create and redeem me. He made me to be just what I am, and He chose me to be just who I am.”

410. The Lord will Turn to us

Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

That the Lord will turn to us is really an unconditional promise. He is always ready and willing to turn to us, to pay attention to us, to listen to us. The only issue is whether we are turning to Him. We are not always ready or willing to turn to the Lord. And if we are not turned to Him we are not tuned in; we may not be paying attention to the attention He is giving us; we may not be listening when He is speaking.

The Lord gives us the promise of turning so that we may be encouraged to turn to Him. He promises to hear; He will pay attention; He listens. His constant turning to us moves us to turn to Him. If we are stubborn in our hard-hearted self-sufficiency we may refuse to turn to the Lord for help in time of need, and certainly not when we feel we have no need.

We need to turn to the Lord. The Biblical truth, however, is that the Lord is the one who turns us. When people seek the Lord they do not realize that it is the Lord who is moving them to seek. If we found the Lord, it is actually the Lord who has found us. If we decide to follow Jesus, it is really He who has overcome our will to make it soft enough to turn and decide to receive Jesus as Savior. It appears to us that God is turning toward us because we are sincerely and eagerly turning to Him, but the truth is that He is always seeking us, turning to us, finding us, saving us, helping us, and answering our prayers. And then He opens the eyes of faith to see that the Lord is right there already. What it looks like and feels like is different than what it actually is. It is the Lord that is doing all the turning: He turns us to Him and He turns toward us.

God has turned to us; God is always turning toward us; and God promises He will turn to us in every future time of need. Jesus never fails. He will not turn His back; He will turn His eyes and His hands toward us. Count on it.