Zechariah: Your King is Coming! Part 15 - Audio

Bakersfield First Assembly

"Your King is Coming!" (Part 15) Zechariah 4:1-14 (NIV) – [1] Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. [2] He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. [3] Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” [4] I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” [5] He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied. [6] So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. [7] “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” [8] Then the word of the LORD came to me: [9] “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. [10] “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)” [11] Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” [12] Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?” [13] He replied, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I said. [14] So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.” 1. God moves mighty mountains. Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV) – [3] A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. [5] And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Matthew 17:20 (NIV) – [20] He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” “With their limited resources, completing the temple must have looked to those Jews as impossible as moving a mountain, but God told Zerubbabel that he would, by God’s power, level the mountain and make it a plain! What “mountains” was Zerubbabel facing? Discouragement among the people, opposition from the enemies around them, poor crops, an unstable economy, people not obeying God’s law—problems not too different from those the people of God have faced throughout the centuries.” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary) 2. We must shout, “Grace!” “The Hebrew word translated grace has a variety of meanings. One of these is indeed ‘grace’ in the sense of God’s favor, and another is ‘grace’ in the sense of gracefulness or beauty.” (UBS OT Handbook Series) “All mountain-like obstacles in Zerubbabel’s way shall be removed, so that the crowning top-stone shall be put on, and the completion of the work be acknowledged as wholly of ‘grace, grace.’ The repetition expresses, grace from first to last. Thus the Jews are urged to pray perseveringly and earnestly that the same grace which completed it may always preserve it.” (Jamieson, Faussett, Brown Commentary) “What comes from the grace of God, may, in faith, be committed to the grace of God, for he will not forsake the work of his own hands.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary) 3. God finishes what He starts. Philippians 1:4-6 (NIV) – [4] In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, [6] 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. 4. Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Matthew 25:20-21 (NIV) – [20] The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.” [21] His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” “Many of the older Jews were disheartened when they realized this new Temple would not match the size and splendor of the previous Temple built during King Solomon's reign. But bigger and more beautiful is not always better. What you do for God may seem small and insignificant at the time, but God rejoices in what is right, not necessarily in what is big. Be faithful in the small opportunities. Begin where you are and do what you can and leave the results to God.” (Life Application Bible Notes) “To some of the Jews, the project was but a “small thing” in comparison to Solomon’s grand temple, but we must look at God’s work through His eyes and not the eyes of the people of the world. Great oaks grow out of small acorns and great harvests from small seeds… Bible history is the record of God using small things… Never despise the day of small things, for God is glorified in small things and uses them to accomplish great things.” (Wiersbe Bible Commentary) 5. We need the anointing. “The two heavenly beings were literally the two sons of [olive] oil, who were anointed with oil as part of their commissioning. Under the leadership of Jeshua and Zerubbabel, the religious and civic leaders of Jerusalem after the people returned from exile, the Temple of the Lord was rebuilt and worship was restored in Jerusalem.” (NLT Study Bible Notes) "Anointing means to authorize, or set apart, a person for a particular work or service (Isaiah 61:1). The anointed person belonged to God in a special sense. In the New Testament, all who are Christ’s disciples are said to be anointed; they are God’s very own, set apart and commissioned for service (2 Corinthians 1:21). In the New Testament, anointing was frequently used in connection with healing. The Holy Spirit’s activities in a believer’s life are pictured in terms associated with anointing. Anointing in the New Testament also refers to the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which brings understanding. This anointing is not only for kings, priests, and prophets; it is for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. The anointing occurs physically with a substance such as oil, myrrh, or balsam. But this is also a spiritual anointing, as the Holy Spirit anoints a person’s heart and mind with the love and truth of God." (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary) Isaiah 61:1-4 (NIV) – [1] The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, [2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, [3] and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. [4] They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (NIV) – [20] For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. [21] Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.