The Lord wants to help, heal and deliver somebody!
Zech. 3:1-3
And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
Notice that Joshua is standing before the Angel with the devil at Joshua’s right hand. Now, the scene we’ve been taught and told, and made to believe is “that of an angel on one side and a devil on the other side, both trying to influence us; “the angel telling us to do right, and the devil trying to convince us to do wrong”. That’s one of those manipulative lies the devil created and would have us believe. The Lord nor His ministering spirits (Angels) stand at the side of people, the Lord is Sovereign, and He does not stand to the side of man playing tug of war with the devil for man’s soul. Whenever, you read in your Bible an angel appearing unto man, it’s never at the side of man but before, and man usually falls down and prostrate themselves before the Lord or His messenger. It’s is but the devil that appears at the side of man to resist us, to persuade us, to accuse us. God is sovereign, and both we and the devil are always before Him.
The reference “Angel of the Lord” is but a theophany of Christ or the manifestation of Christ that appeared to Zechariah, that’s why the following verse says, “And the Lord said…”
However, we’re not going to get into the doctrine of theophany today, but if you want to know more about it, you can email me at bhad@FITW.org and I will be glad to go over it with you.
But, what we see is the High Priest Joshua standing before the Lord, and satan is standing at Joshua’s right hand. And, as we know, the Bible uses a lot of symbolism to express and convey meanings. The symbolism of “the right hand” is very important for us to understand. Ps. 16:8 says,
I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Ps. 73:21-24
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, 22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Ps. 109:31
For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
Ps. 121:5
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
Ps. 118;15-16
Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
God inspired Isaiah to write “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13)
The meaning of right hand is very significant in scripture. The Holy Bible is where the saying, "right hand man" comes from. The right hand means the person that is position in a place of one’s authority, power, honor, favor and blessings, the #1 next to the boss...like Joseph was the right hand man of the pharaoh in Egypt.
Scripture tells us that Jesus, when He ascended back unto heaven, sat at the right hand of the Father, which had nothing to do with seating arrangement. It meant He sat in the place of the Father's authority, sovereignty, power and honor.
So, we see that "the right hand" symbolizes the place of authority, sovereignty, power, honor, favor, blessings and influence.
Now, the logical question we must ask, is why was satan standing at the right hand of the high priest Joshua? A place of authority, power, honor, favor, influence. The answer to that question is contained in the very same verse, it says “satan”, which means great accuser, the opposer, was standing at his right hand to resist Joshua. The Hebrew word resist is guess what? – ?????? (saw-tan') satan; meaning, to bring accusations. Did you get that, Zech 3:1 says satan, was doing satan. The accuser was accusing. So, satan standing at Joshua’s right hand tells us the accuser stood in a place of assumed, and I say assumed, authority, power and influence over and in the lives of Joshua, and God’s people, to accuse them.
We know satan was not only accusing Joshua, but also God’s people, because of what the Lord said, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? The word brand is ? ud (ood), which means firebrand, or the gathering of embers out of the fire.
So, satan standing at his right hand is satan bringing accusation against the High Priest and God’s people based on his assumed position of authority, power and influence in their lives. Now, I Don’t want you to miss this!
Ps. 109:6-7:
Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.
This passage tells us that satan standing at a person’s right hand represents him administering some authority, rule and influence over a person’s life promoting his interest in and to their life. This is what is meant by satan standing at the right hand. Right now, many of you are saying, I already know that satan influences peoples lives.
However, what many believers fail to fully understand about God’s Word, the Holy Bible, is that it is not written for, or speaks to, the “non-believer”. As I always tell people, the Bible is written to believers, not unbelievers. You must first believe the Holy Bible is God’s inspired Word before it can have any authority or effect to and on your life. A non-believer disregards God’s Word having any real authority on and to their lives.
So, with that in mind, what you see in Psalms 109:6-7, is the passage speaking to, satan standing at the right hand of person who believes in God. The phrase when he shall be judged is the Hebrew word ?????? shaphat (shaw-fat'); which means, it’s already pronounced sentence against or for, not a future judgment to come, but a present state of being. Meaning, they are already in a state of being influenced by satan, who influences them. This is why their prayers become sin before God. See, a non-believer does not prayer, at least not unto the Lord. What we see is a person who does believe in the Lord, but lives under or to the influence of satan, this is what is (shaw-fat'), satan stands next to them accusing them, and then accuses them before God.
As believers we must not fail to understand Jesus’ admonition to us, that satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. He seeks to rob us of our faith in God’s Divine Will for our lives, especial our faith in God’s Grace and Mercy. He does this by accusing us, to influencing us, to live to guilt, shame and condemnation, which circumvents the true essence of our faith in God’s Devine grace and mercy for and to our lives.
Let me read to you Ps.142:4 in hopes of you getting a clearer understanding:
I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
There are many Christians who feel the same way the Psalmist felt, and remain to the bondage of guilt, shame and condemnation about their past, and even current lives. Believing there is no one who knows or understands them. No one cares for their soul, and the refuge of the Lord has failed them.
This is but satan at the right hand to accuse you, and bring accusations before the Lord, saying, “look they have no true faith in your redemptive work. I got him/her to belief no one knows or understands them, there is no one who cares for their soul, they have no refuge in you.” And, whether or not you actually tell yourselves this, but feel this way, it is but being influenced and persuaded by the accuser.
Hebrews 10:22 tells us, “having our hearts sprinkled from an “evil conscience”. The word “evil” is p??????, ?, ?? ponéros (‘pond-nay-ross'); meaning hurtful, guilty, in effect being influenced by troubled and pain ridden feelings. And, the word conscience is s??e?d?s??, e??, ? suneidésis (sue-ni'-da-sis); which means, a persisting shared notion, together with, a joint knowing. This phrase “evil conscience” simply means having a joint knowing, together with, a shared notion of hurtful, guilt, trouble ridden feelings that affect you.
The question we should all have is, “joint with, shared with, who?” Is it shared together with, joint with the Lord? Although, many Christians believe their feelings of guilt and shame are shared with the Lord, this is but a lie of the devil. The Lord never guilts or shames us for our sins. He convicts us, which is opposite of guilt, shame and condemnation. Jesus tells us in John 12:47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world”. Scripture also tells us in Rom. 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…”
An “evil conscience” or a “guilty conscience” is one influenced and shared with satan, the accuser, who stands at the right hand to guilt trip, shame and accuse you – there it is, plain and simple!
So, what we see in Zech 3:1-2, is satan standing at the right hand of a believer to accuse him or her. Rev. 12:10 says, he’s the accuser of the brethren –(“brothers and sisters in Christ”) day and night. Did you get that?
Scripture does not say “the accuser,” is the accuser of all the people in the world. No, it says, he accuses the brethren ?de?f?? adelphos; fellow believers, those exalted to heavenly place – Christians. Satan accuses the people of God, day and night.
Satan accuses the saints, not for the purpose of pointing out our errors in hopes we correct them. No, no, no! He does it to rail against the righteous ones of God as mere self-seekers, full of guilt, not worthy to stand in God’s Holy Presence, because man is wicked very much like him, full of pride and deceit, that is why he can manipulate us so easily to do his will. That man’s basic instinct is to be self seeking and not at all truly interested in following God. So says the devil and his followers.
Satan’s design is to cause a breach between brethren (bothers and sisters in Christ) and their heavenly Father. He seeks to cause in our spirits not to want to approach God because of our own perceived disgrace, failures, disqualification and unworthiness. That’s his purpose and design, to wrestle away from us God’s truth, meditation on God’s word, and hinder our prayer live. Satan knows a weak prayer life, is a powerless life, in this spiritual warfare against him and his minions. Our prayer life will and does tell us about our relationship with the Lord. That’s what he/satan seeks to accomplish in and to our lives.
Now, I hope Ps. 109:6: “Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin”, makes a little more senses to you now.
Satan stands to our right to resist us, accuse us, by constantly reminding us of our wrongs and sins, in attempts to keep us with an “evil/guilty conscience”, shared jointly with him in pride, guilt and shame; so that, we focus on the carnal – (our sins) and not the Savior. Did you get that?
You must fully grasp, the very function of Salvation is faith in God granting us grace and mercy to the forgiveness of our sins, cleansing and washing of our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). If, my focus remains on my sins, mistakes, wrongs, faults and short-comings, I will only see my own human frailty, which leads me to feel defeated, disillusioned and discouraged…. When we only see carnally, we loose site of our Savior’s power, authority, everlasting love, grace and mercy.
Satanas knows, the best way to keep you from having true faith in the redemptive work of Christ is to stand at your right hand to resist you, keep accusing you, to keep you sharing jointly with him a guilt and shameful conscience. Did you hear me?
Satanas constantly accuses us, to gain a foothold in our feelings, causing us to have and keep a perceived disgrace of our failed Christian performances. Pointing out our failures of following God’s stringent laws. He tells us, how God is very strict and unrelenting, and how “our heart is not right with God”, “you’re not serious about your relationship with God”. Charging us with being lukewarm and worldly Christians, making us feel we’re not worthy to stand in God’s Holy Presence. “You’re never going to be right in your relationship with God because of your sinfulness”, and if it works, well… ?????? shaphat (shaw-fat'); your present state of mind, influenced jointly and a shared notion of guilt filled feelings with satanas. You will then only operate on self and not Savior, no matter how often you go to Church or how much you pray, your conscience with be shared with satan!
Satan knows that faith in Jesus’ work of redemption is an accept all or leave it proposition. Meaning, you either whole heartedly believe in God’s grace, forgiveness, cleansing and washing of your unrighteousness or you don’t. It’s not 70/30, 80/20, or 99% belief, it’s either 100% belief or it’s not faith; and, without faith it’s impossible, scripture says, impossible, to please God but by faith.
For those of you who have not listened to our study and lesson on “evil conscience”, I would strongly advise you to go listen to it, download it or read it.
Now, back to Zech 3. So, what we see is, satan resisting Joshua and the whole body of God’s elect, by accusing them before the Lord of their aggravating faults, short-comings, wrongs and sins, and his influence of power and authority he exercised in and over them in causing them to violate God’s laws, precepts and statutes.
We then see, the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) rebuking satan who is standing there bringing these accusations against Joshua the High Priest and the people. The word rebuke is the word ga`ar (ga-air); which means a sharp reprimand, a stern disapproval of. So, the Lord, Jesus doesn’t rebuke satan in the sense of casting him away, but reprimands him, sternly disapproving of his means and methods of accusing Joshua and the people. But, “my” Lord, basically says unto satan, “shut your mouth…I have plucked these out of the fire, and I will take away their filth and dress them in my righteousness. Hallelujah!
What you have to understand, is that satan’s claims and accusations were not without merit or false accusations – It says in vs.3, Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel of the Lord. The original Hebrew reads, that Joshua was clothed or ?????? labash (law-vash'); meaning, attired, arrayed with filthy or ?????? beged (ba-gh'-ed); meaning, treachery; garments; ???? tso or tsoi. (sow); meaning, soiled, as in excrement soiled – he or she soiled themselves – you know (pooped on themselves).
I love the unveiled truth of God’s Word. Here’s the High Priest of God, and the Lord says he’s attired in treachery, and the dictionary defines treachery as, violation of faith; betrayal of trust; treason. And, before the Lord it’s like having poop all over himself.
So, make no mistake, Joshua and the people were filthy, and filthy means filthy, soiled with treachery, stained with sin, sinfulness and corruption. Now, keep in mind Joshua was a High Priest, and it doesn’t say that he was a backslider, or in need to be called back unto repentance…it says he was a High Priest of the Lord’s, who was filthy. As we all are, as it tells us in Isa. 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Yet, Zech 3:4 says, And he (Jesus) answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
The problem with most believers is that they live accused by the accuser, focusing more on their sin and sinful ways, than the Savior. And, in no way am I speaking to liberalism to sin because you have grace. No, not at all. There are consequences to sin, and to love the Lord, means obeying His commandments.
However, what we’re speaking to is satan’s tricks, schemes, plots and plans that many of us fall prey to and stay in, focusing on our sin rather than being cleansed and washed by faith in God’s Grace. When we allow satan to stand at our right hand, jointly sharing with us an evil (guilty) conscience of what we did, we never experience the full grace granted us, and our Savior Jesus Christ, rebuking satan out of our lives, and taking away our filthy, stained, soiled and corrupt garments (conscience). For many of us, we’re like Lioness, with that dirty blanket, refusing to let it be taken away from us.
See, not only did the Lord say, “Take away the filthy garments from him. He also said, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment”.
You have to understand, it is the Lord Himself that chose to pluck us as a brand out of the fire. Not ourselves. Satan, the accuser, desires to cast us back into the fire again. It is the will of the Lord to save all guilty, defiled and polluted, to undertake the cause of those who have faith in His benevolent acts of grace; that removes our filth, stains, corruption and pollution. He puts away sin and not the sinner.
So, for those of you who have been told, “you can’t keep sinning before the Lord with whatever habit, weakness, corrupt desires, and alike you may have, and you have been made to feel you have no place with the Lord, I say to you keep going to the Lord, keep reasoning with the Lord. Don’t listen to satan or man, keep running to the Throne of Grace begging for whatever you need to overcome, be delivered. The Lord may have to discipline you for your sins, punish you even, but when you know in your heart, you have no other place to turn but unto the Lord for forgiveness, cleansing, strength and deliverance, keep going to Him, in spite of what anyone tells you. It is the Lord, and only the Lord that forgives sins and cleanses us from unrighteousness.
Early I read Ps.142:4, where it seemed that the Psalmist looked on his right hand and felt like no one knew him, that no one cared about his soul, and that he had no refuge in the Lord. Now let’s read the rest of the passage Ps. 142:4-7
I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 5 I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 6 Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name:
You can’t be delivered from your persecutors who are stronger than you, meaning the devil, unless your being persecuted. Your soul can’t be brought out of Prison unless it’s in prison.
You must understand what the Psalmist is saying. He’s saying, no matter how things look, no matter how you feel. No matter what others have said, even the devil, you know there is no other place to turn, run to, but the Lord. So you must cry out to the Lord, “you are my refuge and my portion”… “you are the only one who can deliver me…” out of whatever it is your trapped in.
It’s a simply thing! No matter what, if you believe in the Lord, and may be trapped in something… do you seek Him, cry out to Him? Or do you just turn yourself over to the devil. There it is! Man can’t save you, only Jesus can… run to that throne of Grace, humbly, but boldly seeking grace and mercy in your time of need! Amen!
Next week we will go over part two to this sermon - “Overcoming by the word of our testimony”. Make sure to join us, because it will be some deliverance for us all!
