Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Can I just begin today’s thoughts with how amazing God is and how compassionate His thoughts are toward us?  We are all in various places of our growing relationships with God from being very lost and don’t care what God thinks to caring deeply about knowing Him more with pleasing God in all we do.  No matter where we are our lives, God loves us. God loves all He has created.  God wants the very best for each one of us.  God sent His best to rescue us.

Are you in pain from attacks of words and attitudes from those you love that tore your heart into pieces?  God mends and rebuilds broken hearts.  God can be trusted.

Are you wondering where God is when you are lost and in trouble?  God comes to those who honestly seek Him.  He stands ready to take you through the troubles and even provides the peace you need in the middle of the greatest storm.

Is your life in shambles and you feel so overwhelmed you don’t know what to do first to rebuild the mess?  God stands ready with wisdom beyond our human selves along with the plan needed to begin again with Him. God restores order in our lives like no one else. Just ask Him, He is faithful and just to give it, says James, without pointing out all the ways you have failed! 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  James 1:5

So, what are you waiting for and how should you begin?  If you don’t know what to pray, pray the sincere prayer of David with a humbled, ready heart to receive all that God wants to give.  David prayed:

God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!

Psalm 51, MSG

God has the power to make it rain in the dessert of our dismayed and disillusioned lives. 

Zechariah 10, The Message

God’s Work of Rebuilding

Pray to God for rain—it’s time for the spring rain—
    to God, the rainmaker,
Spring thunderstorm maker,
    maker of grain and barley.

^2-3 “Store-bought gods babble gibberish.
    Religious experts spout rubbish.
They pontificate hot air.
    Their prescriptions are nothing but smoke.
And so the people wander like lost sheep,
    poor lost sheep without a shepherd.
I’m furious with the so-called shepherds.
    They’re worse than billy goats, and I’ll treat them like goats.”

* * *

^3-5 God-of-the-Angel-Armies will step in
    and take care of his flock, the people of Judah.
He’ll revive their spirits,
    make them proud to be on God’s side.
God will use them in his work of rebuilding,
    use them as foundations and pillars,
Use them as tools and instruments,
    use them to oversee his work.
They’ll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one,
    their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud,
Courageous and vigorous because God is with them,
    undeterred by the world’s thugs.

* * *

^6-12 “I’ll put muscle in the people of Judah;
    I’ll save the people of Joseph.
I know their pain and will make them good as new.
    They’ll get a fresh start, as if nothing had ever happened.
And why? Because I am their very own God,
    I’ll do what needs to be done for them.
The people of Ephraim will be famous,
    their lives brimming with joy.
Their children will get in on it, too—
    oh, let them feel blessed by God!
I’ll whistle and they’ll all come running.
    I’ve set them free—oh, how they’ll flourish!
Even though I scattered them to the far corners of earth,
    they’ll remember me in the faraway places.
They’ll keep the story alive in their children,
    and they will come back.
I’ll bring them back from the Egyptian west
    and round them up from the Assyrian east.
I’ll bring them back to sweet Gilead,
    back to leafy Lebanon.
Every square foot of land
    will be marked by homecoming.
They’ll sail through troubled seas, brush aside brash ocean waves.
    Roaring rivers will turn to a trickle.
Gaudy Assyria will be stripped bare,
    bully Egypt exposed as a fraud.
But my people—oh, I’ll make them strong, God-strong!
    and they’ll live my way.” God says so!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

• God is sovereign (everywhere all the time and in control) but does not step into our lives unless we ask Him.  So, ASK HIM!
• God seeks those whose hearts are committed to Him and longs to bless us with His best—His growing character in us.  (See 2 Chronicles 16:9; Galatians 5)
• God rebuilds and makes us stronger than we were before we were reduced to rubble.  God puts the muscle into our resolve to follow Him!
• God restores what was broken and renews us just as if nothing had ever happened. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1

But, how does believing in Jesus who saved us change our lives? 

• When we say “yes, forgive me, dear Jesus,” we are “born again” as children of God. Instead of being in rebellion against God, we are brought (adopted) into His family, through Christ, with what God has always desired for us — our salvation from sin.  Bonus:  We no longer need to fear death or anything bad that will happen to us, because we have eternal life with God in Heaven. This changes our entire perspective on life: instead of worrying about the concerns of the world which will not last, we can focus on matters of eternal significance—faith, hope, and love of God and with each other in the neighborhoods of our existent on earth.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

How do we live this new life in Jesus every single day? 

God’s Word teaches us how to live…See Galatians 4:1-5 and 5:21-25, Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 12

• It is not about simply following rules—we cannot live the way God wants us to on our own; we need His grace every moment and need to be continually reformed and renewed spiritually by Him. (Romans 12:1-2) This is called “relationship building” with God.  We allow His Holy Spirit who comes to live in us to guide us but we must listen and obey those whispers of what is right. We begin to develop a discipline or habit to listen for God that enables us to avoid the pitfalls of falling back into our “old life” habits. 
• Obedience to God’s will is declaring our deep love for God as we become accustom to our new life in Jesus.
• New life living begins by serving like Jesus.  Begin new habits of compassion. Begin with the little things that positively touch others’ lives and makes them smile. Open a door for someone, be kind when others want to be mean, smile, give generously, look into the eyes of those serving you and acknowledge them, and so on it goes as this new life takes precedence over the old life.  Jesus first, others second, yourself last is the new way of thinking.

But Susan, stuff happens!  I know but grace wins when we let the Holy Spirit guide us in challenging times…

• Our friend broke his promises? Your boss didn’t keep her word? I’m sorry, but before you take action, answer this question: How did God react when you broke your promises to him?
• You’ve been lied to? It hurts to be deceived. But before you double your fists, think: How did God respond when you lied to him?
• You’ve been neglected? Forgotten? Left behind? Rejection hurts. But before you get even, get honest with yourself. Have you ever neglected God? Have you always been attentive to his will? None of us have. How did he react when you neglected him?
• The key to forgiving others is to quit focusing on what they did to you and start focusing on what God did for you.  We live in a broken world who has a broken prince of darkness who wants to pull us from our new life so we can be miserable with him.  But he can only do what we allow him to do.  “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” must be our battle cry against the enemy.

Know that the real enemy is Satan, the fallen angel, who battles God for our attention.  Our best defense is God’s offense of being who evil hates—a beloved child of God who calls out to the Father on our knees, in Jesus Name, regularly, for all of life’s stuff.

Lord,

Whew, all the thoughts you gave us this morning renews our minds, feeds our souls as you cleanse our hearts!  What joy you give as you rebuild and restore us daily!  Thank you, Lord.  I trust you with all my life for you are Life!  Your mercies are, indeed, new each morning! 

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

There will be a day when all nations of God’s created humans will have their eyes on Him, wondering what is happening around them.  They will stop in their work and look up with amazement.  They will gather their family who are left on earth.  They will lay down their weapons of mass destruction of all kinds to see what God will do next. 

No matter what is happening that day, when we least expect it, expect it.  ALL will see God through Jesus Christ His Son. The King is coming—again!   Unbelievers will be fearfully caught off guard but all will know it is God at work.  All the prophets proclaimed the news of His coming to earth as a baby, growing up “in stature and wisdom” as Son of Man and Son of God.  God’s spoke-persons, like Zechariah, told the world centuries before it happened that Jesus, the Messiah, would come to save the world (all people) by taking our deserved punishment for our own sins.  And THAT happened!  We read and are amazed at the details of Jesus riding through the streets on the back of a young colt donkey!

The prophets also told of Jesus’ return to earth a second time to put an end to warring with our clear and present dangerous enemy, Satan, the fallen angel, who still skirmishes with us in a battle for our souls already won by Jesus the first time. John, Jesus “beloved disciple”, was given further “revelation” to how it will all come together under God’s careful eyes.  So, don’t fall for the one who wants to destroy us.  Fall at the feet of the One and Only who saved us and set us free to live life abundantly with Him—forever!

“God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV

God speaks and His creation responds.  Believe and be saved for eternity.

Zechariah 9, The Message

The Whole World Has Its Eyes on God

^1-6 War Bulletin:

God’s Message challenges the country of Hadrach.
    It will settle on Damascus.
The whole world has its eyes on God.
    Israel isn’t the only one.
That includes Hamath at the border,
    and Tyre and Sidon, clever as they think they are.
Tyre has put together quite a kingdom for herself;
    she has stacked up silver like cordwood,
    piled gold high as haystacks.
But God will certainly bankrupt her;
    he will dump all that wealth into the ocean
    and burn up what’s left in a big fire.
Ashkelon will see it and panic,
    Gaza will wring its hands,
    Ekron will face a dead end.
Gaza’s king will die.
    Ashkelon will be emptied out,
    And a villain will take over in Ashdod.

^6-8 “I’ll take proud Philistia down a peg:
    I’ll make him spit out his bloody spoils
    and abandon his vile ways.”
What’s left will be all God’s—a core of survivors,
    a family brought together in Judah—
But enemies like Ekron will go the way of the Jebusites,
    into the dustbin of history.
“I will set up camp in my home country
    and defend it against invaders.
Nobody is going to hurt my people ever again.
    I’m keeping my eye on them.

A Humble King Riding a Donkey

^9-10 “Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!
    Raise your voice, Daughter Jerusalem!
Your king is coming!
    a good king who makes all things right,
    a humble king riding a donkey,
    a mere colt of a donkey.
I’ve had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim,
    no more war horses in Jerusalem,
    no more swords and spears, bows and arrows.

He will offer peace to the nations,
    a peaceful rule worldwide,
    from the four winds to the seven seas.

^11-13 “And you, because of my blood covenant with you,
    I’ll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells.
Come home, hope-filled prisoners!
    This very day I’m declaring a double bonus—
    everything you lost returned twice-over!
Judah is now my weapon, the bow I’ll pull,
    setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string.
I’ll wake up your sons, O Zion,
    to counter your sons, O Greece.
From now on
    people are my swords.”

^14-17 Then God will come into view,
    his arrows flashing like lightning!
Master God will blast his trumpet
    and set out in a whirlwind.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies will protect them—
    all-out war,
The war to end all wars,
    no holds barred.
Their God will save the day. He’ll rescue them.
    They’ll become like sheep, gentle and soft,
Or like gemstones in a crown,
    catching all the colors of the sun.
Then how they’ll shine! shimmer! glow!
    the young men robust, the young women lovely!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We must daily answer the question every person must face as they choose who they will follow:

Do I really believe that what God says and does really real?  The answer will be shown in our behaviors that flow from our hearts.  God sees our hearts, so be honest.

Believe and live for Jesus; be saved forever.  Repent of sins and those sins are gone forever.  We are not perfect but perfectly forgiven.  As we grow in relationship with God, through daily, intentional communication that includes talking to God about everything and then pausing to listen to His direction, we find our thinking and behaving begin to change.  What we thought we wanted before Jesus no longer matters.  What we want now is more of God.  Our focus on God makes everything else grow dim in the background of real life with God.  Yes, Jesus changes everything!

Don’t miss the gift of grace!  Zechariah prophesied that the key to Israel’s future was the coming Messiah, whose gentle leadership would triumph through suffering.  In a couple of days, we will read in Zechariah 12:10 of a future outpouring of the Holy Spirit as repentant people seek his grace.  (See the book of Acts…After Jesus returned to heaven the first time.)  Where the grace of God is missed, bitterness is born. But where the grace of God is embraced, forgiveness flourishes.

The Gift of Peace.  Peace can be had right now.  Jesus left us with a Helper, His Holy Spirit, to guide, correct, convict, encourage, comfort, and point the way to real life with Jesus in ways that please God who loves us and wants the best for us.  Along with the Helper, Jesus left another gift—His peace for which I am personally grateful.  When trouble comes or the enemy tries to rob me of peace, Jesus restores the joy and peace of His salvation at work in me every time.  Because “greater is He that is in me than he (satan) that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” –Jesus (John 14:27)

And I’m singing…

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives!

The longer we walk in the garden of grace, the more likely we are to smell like flowers, the fruits of His character beginning to bloom within us. The more we immerse ourselves in His grace, the more likely we are to give grace to others. Could this be the clue for coping with anger? Could it be the secret is not in demanding payment but in pondering the payment of your Savior?  I’m very sure the answer is yes.  Say yes to Jesus!  He changes everything!

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul, not giving up on me, and making me whole and holy each day—things I cannot do for myself.  Cleanse my heart, change my mind, refresh and feed my soul while restoring the joy and peace of your salvation at work within me by your power.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”  1 Corinthians 3:16

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”  Romans 12:1-2

We had a dear friend who worked as a civilian on the Air Force base that employed most of our friends’ dads, including our own.  So, we heard a lot of stories about how work on the base was unfair at times.  As a computer tech, our friend was assigned to trouble shoot and solve tech problems.  His complaint was about the changing security rules depending on the supervisor you had to deal with in order to get in to do his work.  “Tell me the rules and I’ll play your game so I can do my work,” was his mantra of frustration, but the rules continued to change depending on who you talked to.

Our dads told us often of people who didn’t have enough talent or energy (lazy) to do the day-to-day work being advanced from the work pool into a supervisory position with more pay only because they couldn’t or wouldn’t do the daily work that needed to be done.  Unfair?  Surely, but that didn’t stop our dads who loved God and worked hard regardless of what was going on around them.  They were men of integrity who worked to please God first with their lives.   They were also men who were the “go to” for younger men and women in training.

So, where am I going with this and what does it have to do with the message of God to His people?  God tells us through Zechariah that as the Temple is rebuilt so must our lives be rebuilt, following the renewed thinking of what God wants for us with how He wants us to live our daily lives.  We make life hard with our disobedience.  God makes life simple. Our bodies which include our hearts, minds and souls are Temples where He wants to come to live. 

Have we cleaned house lately, making God’s temple, our lives, a great place to live?

Zechariah 8, The Message

Rebuilding the Temple

8 ^1-2 And then these Messages from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“I am zealous for Zion—I care!
    I’m angry about Zion—I’m involved!”

* * *

God’s Message:

³ “I’ve come back to Zion,
    I’ve moved back to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem’s new names will be Truth City,
    and Mountain of God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    and Mount Holiness.”

* * *

^4-5 A Message from God–of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Old men and old women will come back to Jerusalem, sit on benches on the streets and spin tales, move around safely with their canes—a good city to grow old in. And boys and girls will fill the public parks, laughing and playing—a good city to grow up in.”

* * *

⁶ A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Do the problems of returning and rebuilding by just a few survivors seem too much? But is anything too much for me? Not if I have my say.”

* * *

^7-8 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“I’ll collect my people from countries to the east and countries to the west. I’ll bring them back and move them into Jerusalem. They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God. I’ll stick with them and do right by them.”

* * *

^9-10 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“Get a grip on things. Hold tight, you who are listening to what I say through the preaching of the prophets. The Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies has been reestablished. The Temple is being rebuilt. We’ve come through a hard time: You worked for a pittance and were lucky to get that; the streets were dangerous; you could never let down your guard; I had turned the world into an armed camp.

^11-12 “But things have changed. I’m taking the side of my core of surviving people:

    Sowing and harvesting will resume,
    Vines will grow grapes,
    Gardens will flourish,
    Dew and rain will make everything green.

^12-13 “My core survivors will get everything they need—and more. You’ve gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, you people of Judah and Israel, but I’m coming to save you. From now on, you’re the good-news people. Don’t be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I’m doing.”

Keep Your Lives Simple and Honest

^14-17 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“In the same way that I decided to punish you when your ancestors made me angry, and didn’t pull my punches, at this time I’ve decided to bless Jerusalem and the country of Judah. Don’t be afraid. And now here’s what I want you to do: Tell the truth, the whole truth, when you speak. Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in your courts. Don’t cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others. Don’t do or say what isn’t so. I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest.” Decree of God.

* * *

^18-19 Again I received a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“The days of mourning set for the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be turned into days of feasting for Judah—celebration and holiday. Embrace truth! Love peace!”

* * *

^20-21 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“People and their leaders will come from all over to see what’s going on. The leaders will confer with one another: ‘Shouldn’t we try to get in on this? Get in on God’s blessings? Pray to God-of-the-Angel-Armies? What’s keeping us? Let’s go!’

²² “Lots of people, powerful nations—they’ll come to Jerusalem looking for what they can get from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, looking to get a blessing from God.”

* * *

²³ A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“At that time, ten men speaking a variety of languages will grab the sleeve of one Jew, hold tight, and say, ‘Let us go with you. We’ve heard that God is with you.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God cares enough about us to confront how we live so we can rebuild our temples, our lives, His holy residence of His presence, so that what we do is pleasing to Him, declaring His glory! 

God is Truth.  Jesus came as the Person of Truth.  When we accept, believe, and repent of our sins to Jesus, we become Truth tellers!  “Tell the truth, the whole truth, when you speak. Do the right thing by one another, both personally and in your courts. Don’t cook up plans to take unfair advantage of others. Don’t do or say what isn’t so. I hate all that stuff. Keep your lives simple and honest.”—God

When we tell the Truth, the whole Truth of the Good News of God love, mercy and grace while lifting the Name of Jesus as Savior and Lord of our lives, something happens!  People, broken and betrayed by the world, desperate for Truth, are drawn to us!  Simply speaking, they are drawn to God in us!

And I love these words, “From now on, you’re the good-news people. Don’t be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I’m doing.” 

How? Read God’s Words, ask for wisdom, seek God first in the morning before other thoughts overwhelm your day, present ourselves to God as an offering with no strings attached, willing and ready to obey what God says.  This is the temple in which God likes to reside and abide.

“Embrace Truth; Love peace!”

Lord,

I pray for Your Holy Spirit to help me clean my own temple.  Cleanse my heart, renew and transform my mind, refresh and feed my soul while restoring the joy of your salvation at work by you in me.  Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

I was a happy first grade teacher who worked hard at her profession, helped Randy as he pastored the church we grew up in together, while raising three kids to adulthood.  Then God called us out and told us to move from where we were to a place where we would learn and grow even more.  We didn’t ask God to move us.  We didn’t ask God to give us the work that was waiting for us.  Instead, God led Randy to move a thousand miles from home with his family, go seminary, and pastor a church in the country that needed what God would provide through Randy.  God assured us that he would provide for our immediate needs.  And He did.

God told me I would no longer teach first graders.  Instead, I would work for our denominational office as a leader who would train others to lead and teach.  God promised, “I will tell you what to do and how to do it”.  That is basically what happened with many more details in the move.  But the most important thing to remember as we look back at these momentous callings in our lives of moving from family and the familiar was God said go, so we went.  We love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls.  We have never had any regrets of hearing God and obeying His direction.

Over the years of learning our new work in news places, we had many challenges by people whose hearts’ desires were to hang on to traditions while putting most of their thoughts into the building, honoring religious habits more than ministry to people—ALL kinds of people.  They wished that “those people” God was sending to us were more like them.  These are just some of the attitudes that break our Lord’s heart.

Also, as one of few women in ministry in a denomination who said that God-called and trained women were welcomed to do ministry but their behaviors didn’t really show this belief was a great challenge as I followed God’s will in the midst of adversity.  I prayed for God to lead me through this challenge with wisdom for my own behavior as I simply obeyed what He told me to think, say and do for His glory. 

We also combatted those who said, “You moved from local ministry up to the big leagues, congratulations.  I hope to “move up” in leadership, too.”  These were probably the most disappointing words to us. 

Religion versus relationship with God.  Therefore, religion can get in the way of loving relationships with God and each other easily as humans.  Zechariah, speaking for God, tells religious leaders of their folly in religious acts versus building relationships first with God who provides all we need and then loving people like God loves people—unconditionally, nothing held back, full of love, mercy, and grace!

So, ministry is not about our fleeting feelings, or temporary emotions but in saying yes to God, no matter what that looks like to the world.  Ministry is not something you do to feel good, to show others how good you are, or to manipulate others to support you in your own dreams of power and influence.  Ministry is not something you do because (in your mind) nobody else will do it so you step in.  Ministry in done in God’s time and place and not our own.

Ministry is obedience to God first and always.  Ministry is going where God is already at work and who is calling out to you to come and join Him in that work so you will grow in relationship with Him.  Ministry is not a man-made business of “rank and file” or positions of honor. Rather ministry is daily giving all we have back to the One who gave all He had to save us from all our sins. (See Romans 12) Ministry is an intimate, loving relationship that grows in gratitude for the One who saved us.  Because of our gratefulness to the Father, we listen for His Voice and do what He says.  Because of God’s love growing in us, we extend this same kind of love to the people around us and to those God places in every season of our lives.

Ministry is praying to God for direction before doing anything of significance in His Kingdom work—just like Jesus did when He walked this earth.  Ministry with God and for God is with and for people.  Ministry is helping people find and follow Jesus.  “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16 

Be like Jesus.  Imitate what Jesus did and how He did it.  Have the mind and attitude of Jesus. –Philippians 2

Zechariah 7, The Message

“You’re Interested in Religion, I’m Interested in People”

On the fourth day of the ninth month, in the fourth year of the reign of King Darius, God’s Message again came to Zechariah.

^2-3 The town of Bethel had sent a delegation headed by Sarezer and Regem-Melech to pray for God’s blessing and to confer with the priests of the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, and also with the prophets. They posed this question: “Should we plan for a day of mourning and abstinence next August, the seventieth anniversary of Jerusalem’s fall, as we have been doing all these years?”

^4-6 God-of-the-Angel-Armies gave me this Message for them, for all the people and for the priests: “When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You’re interested in religion; I’m interested in people.

^7-10 “There’s nothing new to say on the subject. Don’t you still have the message of the earlier prophets from the time when Jerusalem was still a thriving, bustling city and the outlying countryside, the Negev and Shephelah, was populated? [This is the message that God gave Zechariah.] Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:

    “‘Treat one another justly.
    Love your neighbors.
    Be compassionate with each other.
    Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.
    Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’

^11-13 “But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears. They steeled themselves against God’s revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. And God became angry, really angry, because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn’t listen to a word he said.

^13-14 “So [this is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said] if they won’t listen to me, I won’t listen to them. I scattered them to the four winds. They ended up strangers wherever they were. Their ‘promised land’ became a vacant lot—weeds and tin cans and thistles. Not a sign of life. They turned a dreamland into a wasteland.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:

    Treat one another justly.
    Love your neighbors.
    Be compassionate with each other.
    Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.
    Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’”

Love God.  Love People. 

In Jesus Name, For His Glory, Amen

Momma always said, “You would save a lot of time and energy if you would just do what I tell you to do the first time.”  Sigh—my response.

“Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did”. James 2:18-22, NIV

It is our behaviors that will always expose our hearts with the truth in what we believe.

Zechariah 6, The Message

Eighth Vision: Four Chariots

Once again I looked up—another strange sight! Four chariots charging out from between two mountains. The mountains were bronze.

^2-3 The first chariot was drawn by red horses, the second chariot by black horses, the third chariot by white horses, and the fourth chariot by dappled horses. All the horses were powerful.

⁴ I asked the Messenger-Angel, “Sir, what’s the meaning here?”

^5-7 The angel answered, “These are the four winds of heaven, which originate with the Master of the whole earth. The black horses are headed north with the white ones right after them. The dappled horses are headed south.” The powerful horses galloped out, bursting with energy, eager to patrol through the earth. The Messenger-Angel commanded: “On your way! Survey the earth!” and they were off in every direction.

⁸ Then he called to me and said, “Look at them go! The ones going north are conveying a sense of my Spirit, serene and secure. No more trouble from that direction.”

A Man Named Branch

^9-12 Then this Message from God came to me: “Take up a collection from the exiles. Target Heldai, Tobiah, and Jedaiah. They’ve just arrived from Babylon. You’ll find them at the home of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Collect silver and gold from them and fashion crowns. Place one on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and give him this message:

^12-13 “‘A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies. Be alert. We have a man here whose name is Branch. He will branch out from where he is and build the Temple of God. Yes, he’s the one. He’ll build the Temple of God. Then he’ll assume the role of royalty, take his place on the throne and rule—a priest sitting on the throne!—showing that king and priest can coexist in harmony.’

¹⁴ “The other crown will be in the Temple of God as a symbol of royalty, under the custodial care of Helem, Tobiah, Jedaiah, and Hen son of Zephaniah.

¹⁵ “People will come from faraway places to pitch in and rebuild the Temple of God. This will confirm that God-of-the-Angel-Armies did, in fact, send me to you. All this follows as you put your minds to a life of responsive obedience to the voice of your God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Listen and follow the voice of God to obey responsively. 

But how do we follow who we do not know?  We cannot.  Therefore:

• Know God by accepting His Son who died for us.  This is the beginning.
• Know that when we accept His Son, Jesus as Savior, and repent of our sins, His Holy Spirit comes to live in us. 
• Read about God in His Word given to us as a love letter to us!
• Know that God begins His intimate growing relationship with us at the time of our coming to Him with all that in us.  The more we know Him, the easier His voice is to hear.  Just like any relationship, the closer we come, the better we hear with understanding.
• Picture our God who delights in us as His creation, who throws open His arms of unconditional love and acceptance into His Kingdom thinking that begins to transform our thinking.  At this point His voice is becoming more recognizable and easier to hear.
• Know who He is and what He promises to do.  Zechariah explained God’s message to the high priest and the witnesses. He must have told them that both Zerubbabel and Jeshua were “wondrous signs” of things to come. Zechariah is telling that Jesus is coming to earth to save the world whom God loves.  Jesus did come to earth centuries later as the Son of Man/Son of God who lived His life on earth always listening for the Voice of God.  Jesus responding obediently to the Voice, even to the point of laying down His life for ours on a cruel cross for our sins. Jesus’ body was put in a borrowed grave, but then, three days later, the Voice shouted, “Arise!”  Jesus rose from the grave, defeating death forever!  As promised by God, Jesus become King of kings and Lord of lords forever.  As promised by God, EVERY knee will bow at the feet of the One and Only who saved us from our sins!  Jesus is our Hope!  Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life.  Jesus is the start of our relationship with God.
• Know that God is with us always.  God always keeps His promises.

Pause to pray, commune with God right now, asking Him,

• Lord, am I living a life of responsive obedience to your Voice?
• Am I taking time to really listen after prayer for your direction?
• Am I doing what you say or going my own way?

The crown kept sacred for “the day of the Lord.”  It belonged to the coming Messiah. Zechariah placed the crown somewhere in the temple as a reminder of the Lord’s promise of a King-Priest who would bring peace and holiness to His people.  And He did.

All this follows as you put your minds to a life of responsive obedience to the voice of your God.”

Lord,

Help me to hear you, to really hear you specifically, with understanding.  Open my eyes to your glory at work all around us.  Open my ears to hear with understanding as I listen to instruction and direction for my life.  Continue your work of salvation that bears your growing character traits in me.  I’m yours and I’m listening, ready to obey.  I trust in you, dear Jesus, King of kings and Lord of Lords forever.

In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen

I grew up in Oklahoma.  I know tornadoes.  I know about the damage and upheaval of people’s lives when a tornado dips down from the sky to wreak havoc as it vacuums up everything in its path and deposits it recklessly somewhere else.  What once was is no longer.  But not all is lost.  Within hours after the dark clouds blow over and the rain stops, a clean up operation begins as people attempt to put their lives back together.  Family and friends gather to clean up the mess left behind.  God helps them through the storm.  God is given credit for saving their lives.

The people of Israel have suffered a storm of a different kind.  They have been sucked up into the vortex of evil, taken into captivity with resulting slavery by a nation who does not know or believe God.  They have spent seventy years in a land of idol worship, pagan rituals that include sacrificing infants, lying and cheating in the marketplace, along with sexual abuses through orgies of all kinds.  The land is full of deceit.  The land is full of evil.  God is working with the remnant, those who survived it all, to rebuild what they knew before the “storm” hit.  Rebuilding God’s Temple, left in ruins by the Babylonians and others, is an exercise to get their attention and focus back on God.

God gives his prophets visions of how His restoration will occur.  God wants His best for His people.  His people are so corrupted that only God will be able to pull their lives out of the rubble sin has caused.  Only God.  Only God can provide “Operation: Clean Up” to those He still and always will love, His beloved chosen, the remnant, who have been faithful, preparing them for this cleansing of all their sins.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” …

Are you sitting in a pile of rubble caused by your sins and/or the sins of others?  Guess what?!  There is no sin too horrible, deplorable, or despicable that God cannot forgive.  There is no life lived so full of evil that He will not save and restore.  I just wanted you to know that today.  I needed to write it “out loud”—God’s leading.

Zechariah 5, The Message

Sixth Vision: The Flying Book

I looked up again and saw—surprise!—a book on the wing! A book flying!

² The Messenger-Angel said to me, “What do you see now?”

I said, “I see a book flying, a huge book—thirty feet long and fifteen wide!”

^3-4 He told me, “This book is the verdict going out worldwide against thieves and liars. The first half of the book disposes of everyone who steals; the second half takes care of everyone who lies. I launched it”—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—“and so it will fly into the house of every thief and every liar. It will land in each house and tear it down, timbers and stones.”

Seventh Vision: A Woman in a Basket

⁵ The Messenger-Angel appeared and said, “Look up. Tell me what you see.”

⁶ I said, “What in the world is that?”

He said, “This is a bushel basket on a journey. It holds the sin of everyone, everywhere.”

⁷ Then the lid made of lead was removed from the basket—and there was a woman sitting in it!

⁸ He said, “This is Miss Wickedness.” He pushed her back down into the basket and clamped the lead lid over her.

⁹ Then I looked up and to my surprise saw two women flying. On outstretched wings they airlifted the bushel basket into the sky.

¹⁰ I said to the Messenger-Angel, “Where are they taking the bushel basket?”

¹¹ He said, “East to the land of Shinar. They will build a garage to house it. When it’s finished, the basket will be stored there.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The vision of the flying scroll and the vision of the basket focus primarily on the land of Israel. In both visions, God performs a cleansing operation and deals with the sins of the nation. 

Later, Jesus, sent to clean up all the sins of the world, yours and mine, now stands ready to present us to God, holy and whole, when we repent of our sins, believe in Him, and follow the One and Only who restores what was torn apart—mainly our relationship with God!  God welcomes us home with open arms!

Consider this for understanding:  God knew sin would be a problem in our lives since Adam and Eve chose evil in their lives.  So God provided a Way to cleanse us from our sins.  The “flying book” represented the law of God that brings sin’s curse on all who disobey it.  (See also Deuteronomy 27:26 and Galatians 3:10–12) But no one is perfect. For that matter, the law was never given to save people (See Galatians 2) but to reveal that people need to be saved; “the law simply shows us how sinful we are” (Romans 3:20).

What about the sins of lying and cheating of each other?  Warren Wiersbe gives us a greater understanding of these visions that relate to the marketplace where cheating and lying became common practice.  (Sound familiar?  Who hasn’t been cheated by business people with a focus solely on making more money and gaining more power?)

“To understand this vision, we must ask, “What did the Jews bring to their land from Babylon when they returned after their captivity?” It wasn’t idolatry, for their years of exile cured them of that sin. The answer is—commercialism. The Jews were people of the land when they went to Babylon, but many of the Jews born in Babylon became people of the city and successful merchants. So the spirit of competitive commercialism is represented by the woman in the basket, for both the basket and the talent were measures of commodities.

Both believers and unbelievers, Jews or Gentiles, can be manufacturers and merchants and faithfully do their work. But if the worldly commercial spirit infects the child of God, the result will be twisted values, confused priorities, and a craving for wealth and position that grieves the Lord (1 Timothy 6). The best antidote is Matthew 6:33. –Warren Wiersbe, Study Bible

And what is Matthew 6:33?  Glad you asked!  “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

God provided Operation Clean Up of all our sins through Jesus, His Son.  Believe in Him and be saved.  Repent and be restored.  Rejoice and be glad as a redeemed people.  Grow in relationship with God who loves us most, above all others.

Lord,

Cleanse my heart of all that offends you, renew my mind, refresh and fill my soul with Your Holy Spirit, and restore the joy of your salvation at work in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Zechariah saw many visions from the Lord, including the arrival of the Messiah.

God’s plan for us includes grace and salvation. Our sins make us unworthy, but his grace protects us from his punishment.

All ships that land at the shore of grace weigh anchor from the port of sin. We must start where God starts. We won’t appreciate what grace does until we understand who we are. We are rebels. We are Barabbas. Like him, we deserve to die. Four prison walls, thickened with fear, hurt, and hate, surround us. We are incarcerated by our past, our low-road choices, and our high-minded pride. We have been found guilty.

We sit on the floor of the dusty cell, awaiting the final moment. Our executioner’s footsteps echo against stone walls. Head between knees, we don’t look up as he opens the door; we don’t lift our eyes as he begins to speak. We know what he is going to say. “Time to pay for your sins.” But we hear something else. “You’re free to go. They took Jesus instead of you.” The door swings open, the guard barks, “Get out,” and we find ourselves in the light of the morning sun, shackles gone, crimes pardoned, wondering, What just happened?

Grace happened.”

(Max Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible)

Zechariah 4, The Message

Fifth Vision: A Lampstand and Two Olive Trees

The Messenger-Angel again called me to attention. It was like being wakened out of deep sleep.

^2-3 He said, “What do you see?”

I answered, “I see a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top. Seven lamps, each with seven spouts, are set on the bowl. And there are two olive trees, one on either side of the bowl.”

⁴ Then I asked the Messenger-Angel, “What does this mean, sir?”

^5-7 The Messenger-Angel said, “Can’t you tell?”

“No, sir,” I said.

Then he said, “This is God’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. ‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you’re nothing but a molehill. He’ll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!’”

^8-10 After that, the Word of God came to me: “Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!”

Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, “The seven lamps are the eyes of God probing the dark corners of the world like searchlights.”

^11-12 “And the two olive trees on either side of the lampstand?” I asked. “What’s the meaning of them? And while you’re at it, the two branches of the olive trees that feed oil to the lamps—what do they mean?”

¹³ He said, “You haven’t figured that out?”

I said, “No, sir.”

¹⁴ He said, “These are the two who stand beside the Master of the whole earth and supply golden lamp oil worldwide.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The lampstand in the tabernacle was symbolic of the Messiah, the Light of the World (John 8:12), who one day would come and give the “light that leads to life” to all who would trust Him.  Believe in Him, repent of sins, receive His Light.

Church!  We need to wake up and fill our lamps so we burn brightly to lead people in this dark world to see and find their way to Jesus Christ, the Light of the World.  We must be jarred from merely surviving this life to living the abundant life Jesus wants us to live.  

In fact, before reading this passage this morning, I prayed to God as he was preparing my heart for the teaching of His Word!  I prayed, “The world needs You, Your salvation and teaching in their lives so badly.  We cannot just sit in pew or chair, sing a few songs of half-hearted praise, listen to a sermon that has been worked on for days then walk away and go on with the business of merely surviving without you to guide us.  When will we really listen to you?  Believe in You?  Base our lives upon what you say and invite you into every detail of our lives?  The prophets’ message that you had written down for us to read today is still true.  Oh Lord, help us.”

God provides the power. We cannot do this alone.  We cannot just decide to be good.  We cannot light the lamps without the oil of his Holy Spirit pouring into us.  “Don’t be discouraged!” was the essence of the prophet’s message. The Spirit of God will enable us to do what an army could never do.

“We can attempt to do God’s work in three ways: we can trust our own strength and wisdom; we can borrow the resources of the world; or we can depend on the power of God. The first two approaches may appear to succeed, but they’ll fail in the end. Only work done through the power of the Spirit will glorify God and endure the fires of His judgment.”  Warren Wiersbe, Study Bible

God finishes His work. God assured Zerubbabel that He would complete the rebuilding of the temple, and the people would rejoice at what God had done through them. Zerubbabel would set “the capstone” or the final stone to be placed in the building with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” 

Paul encourages us; “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” Philippians 1:6-7, NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” 2 Chronicles 16:9, NASB

We have a great God who can empower and bless servants who are dedicated to Him. He can cleanse us and He can empower us, so let’s trust Him and do His work in and through us!

Lord,

Awaken your church and begin with me.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh and feed my soul while restoring the joy of your salvation in me.  I’m listening, ready to obey.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Imagine someone who accuses and abuses you at your workplace incessantly, never letting up because of jealousy of your work done as directed and going the extra mile to give of your best, along with pride that overwhelms their thinking of others, and great envy when the boss tells you, “Well done”!  Imagine that bully standing toe to toe with the “boss” who knows what is going on and has the power and authority to take this bully down, once and for all.  We who are accused and abused by the taunting see the “take down” and we can’t help but rejoice!  Right?!

In Zechariah’s vision, Joshua is Jesus, our High Priest, Savior, and Lord versus Satan who is the Accuser.  And God wins.

Zechariah 3, The Message

Fourth Vision: Joshua’s New Clothes

^1-2 Next the Messenger-Angel showed me the high priest Joshua. He was standing before God’s Angel where the Accuser showed up to accuse him. Then God said to the Accuser, “I, God, rebuke you, Accuser! I rebuke you and choose Jerusalem. Surprise! Everything is going up in flames, but I reach in and pull out Jerusalem!”

^3-4 Joshua, standing before the angel, was dressed in dirty clothes. The angel spoke to his attendants, “Get him out of those filthy clothes,” and then said to Joshua, “Look, I’ve stripped you of your sin and dressed you up in clean clothes.”

⁵ I spoke up and said, “How about a clean new turban for his head also?” And they did it—put a clean new turban on his head. Then they finished dressing him, with God’s Angel looking on.

^6-7 God’s Angel then charged Joshua, “Orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: ‘If you live the way I tell you and remain obedient in my service, then you’ll make the decisions around here and oversee my affairs. And all my attendants standing here will be at your service.

^8-9 “‘Careful, High Priest Joshua—both you and your friends sitting here with you, for your friends are in on this, too! Here’s what I’m doing next: I’m introducing my servant Branch. And note this: This stone that I’m placing before Joshua, a single stone with seven eyes’—Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies—‘I’ll engrave with these words: “I’ll strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day.”

¹⁰ “‘At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another’s porches.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We must choose this day whom we will serve!  Jesus or our Accuser.  God’s Word shows us clearly, from Genesis to Revelation, who defeats the Accuser, but we choose whose side we will listen to in our daily skirmishes with the Accuser who still seeks to win a losing war for our souls.  All believers battle the Accuser daily, putting on the “full armor of God” that is provided for our protection until that day when Jesus comes back again to take us home for good—forever. 

“Choose this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” Joshua 24:15.

“I’ll strip this land of its filthy sin, all at once, in a single day.” God did that through His Son, Jesus Christ, about four centuries later.

God is amazing.  He tells before it happens and while it is happening in full detail.  Proof that what God says is the Truth and the Way, the only way, to Eternal Life with Him.

At that time, everyone will get along with one another, with friendly visits across the fence, friendly visits on one another’s porches.  Yes, Lord, that would be heavenly!  No more Accuser, no more judgments, no more tears, pain, bullies or sadness—only rejoicing.

Yes, I choose you, Lord, Savior of my soul and Lord of my life right now.  I believe.

In Jesus Name, I believe. Yes, and Amen!

I love it when our children and now grandchildren tell us when they are coming to our house in more ways than one.  Even when a family gathering as been acknowledged and verified that they are coming, we will still get a text the day of, letting us know when they are on the road to our house.  “We’re on our way!” the text assures us.  There is just something loving and generous about that text expressing the excitement of our impending time together to celebrate.

God excitedly sends a “text” through Zechariah to His people telling us that He is “on the move” and “on His way” to come to us, to move into the neighborhood where we live and be with us.  Zechariah hears from God then proclaims the coming of Jesus, God’s Son, who will come to earth for a visit to teach, serve and then save all who believe in Him.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “I’m on my way…” says God.

And Jesus did come andfulfilled all the prophecies, in every detail, “texted” many centuries before to God’s people and to all who would listen.  Zechariah was one of many of God’s prophets who shouted from the rooftops of the coming of the Lord!

“Shout and celebrate, Daughter of Zion!  I’m on my way. I’m moving into your neighborhood!” –God’s Decree.

Zechariah 2, The Message

Third Vision: The Man with the Tape Measure

^1-5 I looked up and was surprised to see
    a man holding a tape measure in his hand.
I said, “What are you up to?”
    “I’m on my way,” he said, “to survey Jerusalem,
    to measure its width and length.”
Just then the Messenger-Angel on his way out
    met another angel coming in and said,
“Run! Tell the Surveyor, ‘Jerusalem will burst its walls—
    bursting with people, bursting with animals.
And I’ll be right there with her’—God’s Decree—‘a wall of fire
    around unwalled Jerusalem and a radiant presence within.’”

* * *

^6-7 “Up on your feet! Get out of there—and now!” God says so.
    “Return from your far exile.
I scattered you to the four winds.” God’s Decree.
    “Escape from Babylon, Zion, and come home—now!”

* * *

^8-9 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the One of Glory who sent me on my mission, commenting on the godless nations who stripped you and left you homeless, said, “Anyone who hits you, hits me—bloodies my nose, blackens my eye. Yes, and at the right time I’ll give the signal and they’ll be stripped and thrown out by their own servants.” Then you’ll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission.

* * *

¹⁰ “Shout and celebrate, Daughter of Zion!
    I’m on my way. I’m moving into your neighborhood!”
        God’s Decree.

* * *

^11-12 Many godless nations will be linked up with God at that time. (“They will become my family! I’ll live in their homes!”) And then you’ll know for sure that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me on this mission. God will reclaim his Judah inheritance in the Holy Land. He’ll again make clear that Jerusalem is his choice.

* * *

¹³ Quiet, everyone! Shh! Silence before God. Something’s afoot in his holy house. He’s on the move!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The remnant that had returned to Judah was concerned about rebuilding the temple and restoring the city and the nation, but their work was extremely difficult. In this vision, God assured His people that He planned future glory and honor for them and their city when He Himself would come to dwell with them. 

Be assured, Jesus is coming back again to claim His own!

The angel spoke of Israel’s Messiah! Leaders and diplomats may debate over who will control Jerusalem, but the Lord Jesus Christ has the final word. Always and forever!

What a promise of God “made flesh to live among us”!  Promises like this ought to make all God’s people “sing and rejoice.” Their Messiah (Our Savior and Lord) would come and live with them, just as the glory of God had dwelt in the tabernacle and the temple!  Imagine what the hearer of this proclamation must be thinking!

Pause to think about the second coming of Jesus.  How excited are we?  Do our hearts long for Him? Can we wrap our minds around this promise?  Do we feel assured that what God says about Him is true and will happen? 

Do we really believe that what God says is really real?  Our answer and subsequent behaviors that flow from our hearts will decide our future.  Our hope and assurance cannot be formed from this world, only by believing in Jesus who IS our Hope.

Lord,

I believe you.  I believe that you came to save us.  I believe in your teaching.  I believe that I am redeemed by you.  I believe that I will always be learning and growing while living here as I prepare to be with you in the place you are preparing for me and other who believe.  I know I have “not arrived” in perfection but you in me allows me to be perfectly forgiven and holy.  I believe that what you say in Your Word is absolutely true.  I know “you are on your way” back to us for the last trip to gather us and take us to our forever home with you for eternity.  Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole.  May your glory be seen in me in the meantime so others will know you, too.

In Jesus Name, Amen

In times like these you need a Savior,
In times like these you need an anchor;
Be very sure, be very sure,
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes He’s the One,
This Rock is Jesus, the only One;
Be very sure, be very sure,
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

“Zechariah shared with contemporary Haggai the prophetic task of getting the people of Judah to rebuild their ruined Temple.  Their preaching pulled the people out of self-preoccupation and go them working together as a people of God.  There was job to do, and the two prophets teamed up to make sure it got done.

But Zechariah did more than that.  For the people were faced with more than a ruined Temple and city.  Their self-identity as the people of God was in ruins.  For a century they had been knocked around by the world powers, kicked and mocked, used and abused.  This once proud people, their glorious sacred history starred with the names of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David and Isaiah, had been treated with contempt for so long that they were in danger of losing all connection with that past, losing their magnificent identity as God’s people.

Zechariah was a major factor in recovering the magnificence from the ruins of a degrading exile.  Zechariah reinvigorated their imaginations with his visions and messages.  The visions provided images of a sovereign God that worked their way into the lives of the people, countering the long ordeal of debasement and ridicule.  The messages forged a fresh vocabulary that gave energy and credibility to the long-term purposes of God being worked out in their lives.

But that isn’t the end of it.  Zechariah’s enigmatic visions, working at multiple levels, and his poetically charged messages are a work still, like time capsules in the lives of God’s people, continuing to release insight and hope and clarity for the people whom God is using to work out his purposes in a world that has no language for God and the purposes of God.”  –Eugene Peterson, Intro to Zechariah, The Message Bible

It seems our present culture knows less and less about God, who He is and what He wants for us, than ever before.  Are you noticing that there are less and less people (beyond our tight circle of committed, believing friends) that don’t know the “language of God” so that when you speak of God and what He has done in our lives; eyes glaze over for they know not what or who you are talking about?  Is that what Zechariah felt as he preached?

Zechariah 1, The Message

 ^1-4 In the eighth month of the second year in the reign of Darius, God’s Message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: “God was very angry with your ancestors. So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: ‘Come back to me and I’ll come back to you. Don’t be like your parents. The old-time prophets called out to them, “A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: Leave your evil life. Quit your evil practices.” But they ignored everything I said to them, stubbornly refused to listen.’

^5-6 “And where are your ancestors now? Dead and buried. And the prophets who preached to them? Also dead and buried. But the Message that my servants the prophets spoke, that isn’t dead and buried. That Message did its work on your ancestors, did it not? It woke them up and they came back, saying, ‘He did what he said he would do, sure enough. We didn’t get by with a thing.’”

First Vision: Four Riders

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the second year of the reign of Darius, the Message of God was given to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:

⁸ One night I looked out and saw a man astride a red horse. He was in the shadows in a grove of birches. Behind him were more horses—a red, a chestnut, and a white.

⁹ I said, “Sir, what are these horses doing here? What’s the meaning of this?”

The Angel-Messenger said, “Let me show you.”

¹⁰ Then the rider in the birch grove spoke up, “These are the riders that God sent to check things out on earth.”

¹¹ They reported their findings to the Angel of God in the birch grove: “We have looked over the whole earth and all is well. Everything’s under control.”

¹² The Angel of God reported back, “O God-of-the-Angel-Armies, how long are you going to stay angry with Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? When are you going to let up? Isn’t seventy years long enough?”

^13-15 God reassured the Angel-Messenger—good words, comforting words—who then addressed me: “Tell them this. Tell them that God-of-the-Angel-Armies has spoken. This is God’s Message: ‘I care deeply for Jerusalem and Zion. I feel very possessive of them. But I’m thoroughly angry with the godless nations that act as if they own the whole world. I was only moderately angry earlier, but now they’ve gone too far. I’m going into action.

^16-17 “‘I’ve come back to Jerusalem, but with compassion this time.’
    This is God speaking.
‘I’ll see to it that my Temple is rebuilt.’
    A Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
‘The rebuilding operation is already staked out.’
    Say it again—a Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
‘My cities will prosper again,
    God will comfort Zion again,
    Jerusalem will be back in my favor again.’”

Second Vision: Four Horns and Four Blacksmiths

¹⁸ I looked up, and was surprised by another vision: four horns!

¹⁹ I asked the Messenger-Angel, “And what’s the meaning of this?”

He said, “These are the powers that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem abroad.”

²⁰ Then God expanded the vision to include four blacksmiths.

²¹ I asked, “And what are these all about?”

He said, “Since the ‘horns’ scattered Judah so badly that no one had any hope left, these blacksmiths have arrived to combat the horns. They’ll dehorn the godless nations who used their horns to scatter Judah to the four winds.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In this present culture that teaches we can and must do life by ourselves for ourselves, it is increasingly important to obey Jesus’ command to go and tell the Good News of salvation from God through Jesus Christ, His Son, teaching others that Jesus is counterculture in His thinking.  What our culture teaches us incessantly actually abuses and degrades us and is the opposite of what Jesus teaches! 

How do we transform our thinking?  Seek God first.  Lay our lives before God and let God do the heavy lifting on changing our minds.  We cannot do this by ourselves.  (Romans 12)

How do we teach others who Jesus is in a culture who doesn’t know Him or the language He speaks?  (Acts 17)

Be aware to whom you are speaking.  It is important to know the “audience” like Paul did in Athens as he strolled the streets and observed all their gods.  (See Acts 17)    Paul didn’t get angry or disgusted over what they did not know.  In fact, Paul noticed an altar dedicated to “An Unknown God.” Paul saw the opportunity to point out the truth behind the “Unknown God,” the one in whom everything is contained. He was not going to lose the opportunity to point out how their unknown god was in fact the same God that Paul travels the world to make known. Begin at the point of what they know and then tell the Truth of who Jesus is. 

Live what you preach.  Our behaviors and reactions in all kinds of circumstances of daily life speak louder than our words ever will to a world seeking to discredit Jesus.

Be still and know God.  Seek God first daily, asking Him to teach us and help us.  But the power of His Holy Spirit living in us, He will tell us what we need to know and what to say when He sends us.

Tell what you know and nothing more.  Speak the Truth (Jesus who is the way, truth, and life) in love, wanting the best outcome for the one to whom we are speaking.  We don’t need to add to what Jesus has done for us.  And we can only go as far as we have been in God’s Word and teaching to us.  Remember always:  Jesus saves.  We do not.

The culture teaches “follow your heart”.  Jesus teaches our hearts are deceitful because of our sin nature.  Since Adam and Eve, we are born sinners.  So we cannot trust our hearts.  We can only trust the heart of God.  So, let us pray daily for our hearts to be cleansed, our minds transformed from culture thinking to God’s thinking, our souls refreshed and fed by the Holy Spirit.  When we ask God, He will do it!  Believe, really believe in Jesus, what He did for us and what He is still teaching us today. 

We cannot “be good” all by ourselves! Only God is Good.  Jesus said that out loud to the culture around him at time He walked this earth.  So go the One who is Good for help!  Jesus went “off by Himself to pray to His Father” to get direction before doing anything of significance for God’s Kingdom.  Who are we not to follow His way of thinking and praying for direction for God’s purpose and ways to accomplish His ways?

Jesus promises perfect Help—His Holy Spirit!  The Holy Spirit comes to live in all who believe and turn to Him.  The Holy Spirit comes with the power equal to the power that rose Jesus from death to life!  The Holy Spirit will guide, send up warning flags when temptations are a clear and present danger, leads us away from culture thinking to God’s wisdom thinking, comforts when we feel less than, broken by the world around us, reminders of who we are in Jesus.  We are redeemed as God’s own, chosen, loved beyond our wildest dreams!  The Holy Spirit convicts us to turn from our sin nature to Jesus’ best.  When troubles come, and they will, His Holy Spirit helps us navigate the rough waters while teaching us lessons that will strengthen our faith-resolve in God.

Jesus is coming back, you know.  Zechariah, God’s prophet in Jerusalem more than five hundred years before Christ, had a series of dreams the expanded into visions that kept him awake for a week. These visions by God to Zechariah were God’s future plans for his people, including a description of the Messiah! Through these visions God gave his message to Zechariah, who then faithfully relayed them to his family, friends, neighbors, countrymen . . . and us. 

As we continue to read Zechariah, take hope in knowing that God controls the future, your future, and that the King is, indeed, coming. 

But… “Until then, my heart will go on singing, until then my joy will carry on…”

Joy comes from knowing Jesus.  Peace comes from obedience. 

May God rebuild and restore His Temple in our hearts, minds and souls where He abides and resides with us.

Lord,

Thank you for your prophets that each us of the coming of the Jesus who saves us and makes us whole before you.  Thank you for being with us.  Thank you for the peace and joy that fills our souls as no one else can, just by knowing you and believing what you say.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh and fill my soul, while restoring the joy of your salvation in me daily.

In Jesus Name, Amen