By My Spirit (English Service)

Zech 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty.

The will of God will never lead to where the grace of God cannot keep you.

• When He calls us to do a task, He will give us the resources to complete it.

• It is unthinkable for God to want to do something, only to realize halfway that it cannot be completed.

• So whatever God calls us to do, it must be something that can be done.

The people of Israel experienced this truth in Zechariah 4.

• They had just returned home to Jerusalem, their homeland, after 70 years in captivity.

• Everything had been destroyed and the place in ruins for 70 years. It’s a long time but it doesn’t matter – God is going to rebuild it.

• Today’s Israel is a testimony of the power of God to restore things back.

(1) If it is BY HIS SPIRIT, it means God is ABLE TO RESTORE anything back.

The people have to start everything from scratch

– rebuild their homes, build the Temple to worship and to build up the city walls – but nothing is impossible for God, if we only believe Him.

• People say if there is a will, there is a way. Not necessarily true. If it is just your will-power, it may not be accomplished.

• But if there is a God’s will in it, there will surely be a way. Even if the land had been in ruin for 70 years.

• Look back at Noah’s time. The earth was destroyed completely by the flood for 340 days (40 days rain, 150 days flood, 150 for flood to recede). And then God restore everything back.

If you feel that things have fallen apart for you or life is a mess, believe this, God can rebuild your life back. God can mend a broken life.

• No life is beyond repair. No matter how far you have gone from Him or how badly you’ve sinned.

• But you need to turn back. You need to put your trust in Him.

(2) If it is BY HIS SPIRIT, then we need to ACKNOWLEDGE Him

He is our divine co-worker. He is our Partner in life.

If it is by His Spirit and not human efforts, then we need to be praying for whatever we are doing today.

• If whatever we are doing is not of God, then we are just writing another book of Ecclesiastes. King Solomon found out that everything is vanity, apart from God.

• He wrote in Psalm 127:1-2 “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves.”

In order words, whatever we do by our own way and efforts will be quite useless.

• Meaning it will not bring anything of lasting value or has any eternal consequences.

• But on the other hand, if it is BY HIS SPIRIT, then no one can thwart His will.

God planned for them to return after 70 years. God planned for them to rebuild the nation Israel. God planned for the Temple to be rebuilt.

• The Lord says, any obstacle to this work, even if it is as great as a “mighty mountain” (4:7), will be removed.

• If it is God’s plan, nothing can stop it. If it is not, nothing can succeed.

• God’s will is paramount. We need to acknowledge Him. We need to talk to Him. Prayer is our only guarantee of success. “No time spent with God is not wasted time.”

• Are we doing God’s will today? Are we living according to His will today?

(3) If it is BY HIS SPIRIT, then we need to HAVE FAITH in God

It will take some time. It will take some effort. But believe it, it will be done.

In the Bible, we see that when God calls people to do His work, He rarely calls them to do easy tasks.

• He did not call Moses over to a burning bush, and ask him if he can take care of a few more sheep. He has to face Pharaoh and bring the people out of Egypt.

• God asked Noah to build an ark, something he has never seen or heard before. And to bring a pair of every kinds of animals into it.

• Abraham was to leave his home and move to a place God would show him, not knowing beforehand where that is.

• Paul was called to preach the Gospel throughout Asia Minor, but he faced constant persecution and imprisonment, and for most of the time, if he was not on the run for his life, he was in prison.