The word of the Lord came to the remnant who had returned to Jerusalem.
• Last week, we read of prophet Haggai challenging to the people to rebuild the Temple of God and restore the worship of God.
• God encourages the people now through Zechariah (contemporary of Haggai). He spoke two months after Haggai – [Read Zech 1:1-6]
Summary of the book: Zechariah encourages the nation to respond to her privileged, covenantal relationship with God by rebuilding the Temple and returning to the worship of God in the light of a glorious future when their Messiah comes and establishes His Kingdom.
Continuing from what we’ve been talking about last Sunday on the building of the Temple of God, I’ve chosen to share from Zech 4:6-10.
• God gave Zechariah 8 messages through 8 visions in one night. The passage we read today is the 5th message: [Read Zech 4:6-10]
The will of God will not lead you to where His strength cannot sustain you.
• When God calls, He enables. If He says move, then He will make a way. If He says do it, He will give us the strength to accomplish it.
• If it is God’s will and God’s work, then ONLY through the power of His Spirit can it be done.
As leader of the remnant, Zerubbabel felt the task daunting.
• This was not the first time he was at it. His hands laid the foundation of the Temple some 16 years ago, but they stopped because of oppositions.
• Their number is small, the people are discouraged and their resources limited.
• Unlike the royal might and power in Solomon’s time, when Solomon had almost unlimited resources at his disposal.
The look of the work-in-progress wasn’t encouraging and the Lord came to encourage him. God assured him it would be completed. The Lord said it!
• And it’s not going to be BY human might or power, if that is what you are thinking.
• It’s not going to be the number, the size, the abilities or the wealth that you have, but BY MY SPIRIT, says the Lord Almighty.
(1) DON’T OVER-ESTIMATE WHAT YOU CAN DO alone
God’s work is done THROUGH our human efforts but not BY our efforts.
• God uses us, but it is not us that accomplish the task.
• If Jesus says in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” – it means that apart from God, we cannot achieve anything of real significance.
God’s Spirit is the only, absolutely necessary resource upon whom we depend.
• If we are serious about doing God’s will and accomplish something of eternal significance.
• That is why Jesus asked His disciples to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit before they do anything. We need Him.
That probably explains why God sandwiched this message with a VISION of the golden lampstand and the two Olive Trees. [Read 4:1-5 and 11-14]
• The lampstand in the Scriptures generally depicts the church, believers in Christ.
• It’s always burning because of the supply of oil to the lamp, through the two olive trees. It is a constant and unceasing supply of oil.
• What do the two olive trees refer to? Not sure, but from verse 14 they are the anointed ones – likely a picture of Christ and the Spirit.
• What is clear is that the lampstand will always be shining because of the unceasing supply of oil.
The limitations and shortfalls that you are experiencing today are not an issue to God.
• God’s will for our life is not dependent upon our might and power in the first place. It is BY HIS SPIRIT.
• And it means there is no end to what God can do, because nothing is impossible with God.
• If we call Him ALMIGHTY, then He deserves more TRUST. You’ll be fine if you stay connected to the olive trees (vision), and to the vine, Jesus says.
• Connect with God every day, and stop fighting the battles of life with your own strength. You connect each time you pray.
(2) DON’T UNDER-ESTIMATE WHAT GOD CAN DO through you
The Lord says, any challenges you face, any obstacles to MY PLAN, as great as a “MIGHTY MOUNTAIN” (4:7), will be removed. It will become level ground.
• In other words, God will make a way even when there seems to be no way.
• Notice the Lord did not deny the problems or the difficulties. There will be mighty mountains in our lives. But God says we can confront them with HIS POWER.
• The power of His Spirit will ensure that His will be done. No one and nothing can thwart God’s plan for your life.
The Lord promised: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it.” (4:9)
• When the capstone is brought out (4:7) - the final piece, top-stone, crowning stone – people will shout: “God blessed it! God blessed it!”
• Zerubbabel will finish what he started (laying the foundation).
• Putting it in another way – God is going to finish the job, BY HIS SPIRIT. God is going to finish what He started.
God sees the end from the beginning. Whatever you are encountering today, God sees the end already.
• Don’t look at the mountains. They will be there. You can’t run away from them. Focus on His promise and not the problem.
• Choose to look to God. He will always be there too. And He has the power to level the mountains that is before you.
• Rom 8:37 “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” In all things, but that’s only through Him!
The Lord says in verse 10: “Who despises the day of small things?” Someone is.
• The remnant may feel small and weak, their resources limited and few, but they did eventually finished what God called them to do.
• It is not the SMALLNESS that is an issue; it is the BELIEF that we are SMALL… that we are weak, frail and unable to do it.
Change that belief. We believe in the Lord ALMIGHTY (that’s how He introduces Himself here a few times).
• Size is not an issue to God. Gideon wanted to fight the Midianites (an army of 135,000) with 32,000 men, and God asked him to reduce it further to a mere 300. And they won the battle against an army that’s 450 times their size.
• Judg 7:2-3 “The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, `Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'”
• You know why God sometimes keep things “small”.
• You cannot be too small for God to use; you can be too big for Him to use.
1 Cor 1:26-29, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
Stay humble. Offer what you have. Do the little you can and leave the rest to God.
• Adopt the attitude of a farmer. Sow the seed and wait with hope. The harvest will come. God is the Lord of the harvest.
• But we will sow the seed. We will do what God has called us do.
We are celebrating our 50th Anniversary next week. It is not a perfect journey. It is not a smooth journey. It is a journey of FAITH with the good God who has called us. Over the 50 years, many souls have been saved, and many have returned home. Many more have heard of the Gospel and moved on to serve elsewhere.
What we see today is a testimony of God’s grace and gifts. We cannot transform lives. We cannot convict people. We cannot even bless people, strictly speaking. It is ‘not by our might or power, but by His Spirit.’ God removes the obstacles and turn our small gifts into wonderful things that can be used to please Him and glorify His Name.
We have what we do not deserve. It’s only right for us to give thanks and honour Him. Come back next Sunday with a friend, and celebrate the goodness of God.
1. There may be some here today that needs to get your connection right again. Acknowledge your need of God. Make it a point to meet up with Him every day, even for a short moment. Put your trust in Jesus as your Saviour. Invite Him into your life as your Lord and your God.
2. Some of you may be facing problems. It is like a mountain before you. You have tried all you can but nothing has changed. I have no easy answer. Only God can level it down for you. Keep up the faith. Keep on praying. Remember, God sees the end from where you are. Look at His promise, not the problem.
3. For some of you, you need to STEP UP. God has a great task but you need to put your hands to work. You have been laying low for too long, complacent and probably discouraged. Step up and be counted. God wants to use you to accomplish His will on earth.
Let us pray.
