A Glorious Church

"A GLORIOUS CHURCH!"

Zech. 4:6-10

6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, 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. 7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. …….8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Matt. 13:31-32

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Every living thing started out small!

• Every great invention started out as just an idea.

• Even the universe God has created was made out of the smallest of particles called atoms.

• We are living in a day when everything has to be "BIG"

• But it is important that we remember how important small things really are!

• The Bible teaches us to appreciate small beginnings, that God honors small things when they are not despised!

1. The Jewish people had just come through a very difficult time of history

• They had been captive for many years, and their homeland had been utterly destroyed. ..

• Some of their countrymen had made it home and had rebuilt the city…not completely but enough to be called a city again

• But they had not rebuilt the temple…..they lacked funds and resources…and the vision to think it could be done

• They all remembered their great history…how Solomon had built, a wonderful temple….and now Zerubbabel was returning and he was encouraging them to build a new one

2. They were weak, still recovering from a difficult time and they were being asked to believe God to rebuild His temple.

• The Temple of God was the symbol of their life with God,

• It was an outward show of an inward relationship with their God

• But the people had doubts about their ability to build God a house, they just didn't see how it would be possible!

• So many things for God would never happen if we were full of doubts.

• If the doubters had their way, , nothing much for God would get accomplished.

3. Listen to these actual clippings from magazines and newspapers by the authorities of that day

1840 - "Anyone traveling at the speed of thirty miles per hour would surely suffocate."

1878 - "Electric lights are unworthy of serious attention."

1897 Radio has no future. Lord Kelvin British mathematician and physicist,

1901 - "No possible combination can be united into a practical machine by which men

shall fly."

1926 - (from a scientist) "This foolish idea of shooting at the moon is basically

impossible."

1930 - (another scientist) "To harness the energy locked up in matter is impossible."

1946 Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months.

People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night. - Darryl F. Zanuck,

head of 20th Century-Fox, 1946.

4. There have always been those who said, "It can't be done."

• But even the experts can be and have been wrong.

• But the real tragedy is that 99 percent of the people believed them.

6. God tells his people through the prophet that they need not fear, it won't be by "might, (human strength) or power, (political power) but by my Spirit (God's power!)" that the job will get done.

• They just needed to believe and obey!

• Even the "mighty mountain" will become as level ground

• Let me tell you the biggest obstacles thrown you…the mighty mountains will "become level ground" when you by faith obey the Lord and believe that God will enable you. 4:7

7. In fact, God tells them that the day will come when they will see Zerubbabel lay the capstone on the finished building and they will shout at that time "God bless it, God bless it!" 4:9