Don’t Quit Just Speak to it
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - As Christians we supposedly do not make New Years Resolutions, it is considered taboo, sinful, a lie, false oath, or any other tradition you want to title it, but truth be told we all look to the New Year with a level of expectancy and the desire for a change to happen in the New Year. We will testify and say in the coming year I want to be closer to God than I was last year pray my strength in the Lord that I will go higher and deeper in Jesus name this year. It doesn’t matter how Holy people try to be or how sanctified they act there is a desire that the New Year will bring something new, a new position, a new opportunity, a new house, a new outlook on life.
However, research shows that most New Years Resolutions are broken by the second Friday of the year so much so that the second Friday of January is called quitters day. Because of discouragement, disappointment, lack of enthusiasm, hopelessness, disdain, disgust, frustration people give up and quit.
Today I want to encourage you Don’t Quit Just Speak To It.
PRAYER
SCRIPTURE:- Zechariah 4:6-10 “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 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. Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 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. 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”.
IN OUR TEXT: - Zerubbabel is looking at a pile of ruins of what had been a beautiful city and the center of worship for his nation. More than a decade earlier 50,000 exiles returned to Jerusalem with permission from the King of Persia to rebuild the altar and the temple. However, only the altar had been rebuilt and work on the temple had stopped. The leader of the Jewish exiles was Zerubbabel and he was now looking at the rubble and the unfinished rebuilding with a growing sense of discouragement. He had a vision but couldn’t see how provision was going to be made.
When the exiles arrived in Jerusalem they were excited and enthusiastic about what was ahead there was a level of expectancy for something new to take place. God had brought them out of exile back to their home and they felt that they would quickly rebuild the altar and the temple. However, things started to change and there was opposition from outside forces. Not only was there opposition from outside but people within became selfish. They wanted to rebuild their own homes and have their own agendas. They began to put what they wanted in front of the vision at hand. They felt that just because they built the altar that that was good enough and they didn’t want to do what needed to be done. They became busy doing their own thing that they neglected and quit working on and now let lay in ruin the Temple of God. Their desire, enthusiasm, dedication, commitment and love of God began to fade. Finally, weariness, fatigue, discouragement, depression, and disappointment set in. The spirit of mediocrity and complacency began to rule. They quit and refused to do what needed to be done.
Even though they completed one task there was another one that needed to be done. So, after twelve years the task was unfinished, but the people were finished. They simply did not want to work on this anymore. No matter what Zerubbabel did, the people refused to go back to work and it appeared to be a hopeless situation.
The people had quit, the ruins were still the ruins, progress had stopped, the spirit of expectancy was gone, no doubt Zerubbabel began to question God and say Lord is this what you called me to do. He may have even wanted to throw his hands up and say I quit and not go on anymore.
It was into this place of discouragement and disappointment that God sent a prophet with a message for Zerubbabel and for the people and even for us today. It is a powerful word for anyone faced the discouragement, for anyone that has had a vision that has gone unfulfilled, for anyone who is looking at quitting, giving up, throwing up their hands. Anyone who heard the promise of God but has not yet apprehended. It’s the word for the betrayal of someone close to you, the inability to finish a task that seemed so clear in the beginning. It’s a word for a set-back.
No doubt you could write your own list of discouraging, helpless, and hopeless situations that you are currently facing.
But Zechariah has a word from the Lord that is going to change your life.
Vs # 6 “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” This is to Zerubbabel and to you and I.
The situation that you are currently facing is impossible for you to do anything about it. You can’t force it to work out with muscles or strength. In other words, there is nothing you or I can do to get something done. Your power, strength, and education may be good to you, but in this situation, they are not going to benefit you at all, but by my spirit says the Lord of host. So, when it comes together you can’t take any credit for it, you can’t say see look what I have done. The only way this is going to work out is by my spirit.
The text goes on and it now speaks to the mountain before Zerubbabel and that is the problems that stopped the work on the temple. This is not a physical mountain but a problem or situation that is hindering progress.
Vs #7 “Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.”
Just who do you think you are, O great mountain? You are not going to stop the progress of God’s kingdom any longer. I know the thought I have for him/her thoughts of good and not of evil to bring him to an expected end. It’s time for you to be handled. You are going to be reduced to nothing more than flat ground” You have been a rough place in their life long enough and it’s time for you to be made smooth for them.
Vs 7 “And he shall bring forth the headstone.” The headstone was the finishing stone of a construction project, the final stone to go onto the wall. It’s the last piece of the puzzle if you will. In other words what he has started he is going to finish and you o mountain are not going to stand in his way because I have begun a good work in him and I will perform it through him.
“With shoutings, crying Grace, grace to it!” What is this supposed to mean? Is this suggesting that we face our problem and shout ‘Grace, grace!’ at it? This seems too simple and rather inappropriate.
Well that’s just the point. In our culturally sophisticated seeker friendly living your best life now, mamby-pamby, make everybody happy churches we have lost much of our identity and most of our power.
Is this exhortation to shout grace at the problem too simple? Probably for some who do not have ears to hear. To others, however, as the revelation comes they will realize that this is one of the most powerful truths we are given. Grace is defined as the “the unlimited and unmerited favor of God.” We can’t buy or earn grace—it is God’s alone to give.
When Zechariah spoke this prophetic word, I believe he was saying:
“This promise, this vision, is going to be brought to completion not through the strong arm of flesh but by the Spirit of the Lord. You are to turn and face the opposition, this mountain of difficulty that has stopped your forward progress—“the mighty mountain”—and you will watch it turn into flat ground. Be encouraged, child of God, because the promise is going to be fully completed. Right now begin to declare that the favor and blessing of God is upon this promise; this was His vision, born of His Spirit. Go ahead and shout to the opposition, to every problem that is in your way. Shout, ‘Grace, grace!’ Go ahead, don’t just mutter it under your breath, child of God. Say it—shout it like you mean it!”
WATCH THIS: - Matthew 17:20 Jesus said, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you”.
Mark 11:23 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”.
Your mountain is going to be turned into a smooth place if you just speak to it and say Grace, grace!
The catch all definition of Grace is the unmerited favor of God. He gives us what we don’t deserve, not based upon us but upon His love for us. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life”, that’s Grace, we didn’t deserve it but He gave it to us any way.
The common acronym for Grace is
G = God’s
R = riches
A = at
C = Christ’
E = expense
So whatever mountain is in your way, and it seems unsurmountable don’t quit just speak to it. Cry out Grace grace to it.
Depression – Grace, grace. Anxiety – Grace, grace Loneliness – Grace, grace. Family problems – Grace, grace Broken Hearts – Grace, grace. Employment problems – Grace, grace Lack – Grace, grace. Friends turn against you – Grace, grace Marital problems – Grace, grace Rebellion – Grace, grace
Don’t Quit Just Speak to your mountain and watch it become a plain before you. Not because of your strength or power but because of Grace.
Speak to it.
CLOSING: - Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. This is grace to overcome, and stand having done all to stand. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” that is enabling grace”.
You don’t have to quit no matter what it may look like, no matter how it seems, don’t give up but speak to what you are facing and watch what God is about to do in your life.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
