By the Spirit Of God
Maynard Pittendreigh
Zechariah 4:1-11
We are continuing our study of the Minor Prophets. Last week we looked at Haggai and this week we look at Zechariah.
Both of these prophets are preaching at the same time – late in the year of 520 BC.
Both of these prophets deal with a similar concern – the work of the Lord, specifically the building of God’s temple in Jerusalem.
When you read through Zechariah, you find that it is another one of these biblical books that has no story or plot. It is a report of Zechariah’s eight visions and his prophecies for the Jews who have returned to Israel after enduring several decades in exile in a foreign country.
The Jews have been back for almost 20 years, yet they have not rebuilt the temple. They had started to project right away, with the Persian king’s blessing, but they abandoned it when local opposition convinced the new king that it was not politically safe to allow the rebuilding project to continue.
But now, 20 years later, there is a new king in town. He is supportive of a tolerant, multi-cultural community. He is open to the rebuilding of the temple.
And so Haggai and Zechariah both call for the rebuilding of the Temple.
But it has been 20 years.
The people are bankrupt spiritually, financially, and politically. Their place of worship is in ruins.
What could the Jews possibly do to turn all of this around?
Nothing.
That is the bad news.
Let us hear the Word of God…
Zechariah 4:1-6
1 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep.
2 He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights.
3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."
4 I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I replied.
6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
(NIV)
I saw a part of a television news show the other day. It was on one of the 24-hour news stations, and Chris Matthews and Phil Donahoe were face to face in a heated discussion.
Now I don’t know if you are familiar with these two men, but they are very opposite people. They are both in the news business, and they are both from a Roman Catholic background and they continue to live out their faith and you can see their faith in their work on occasion.
But beyond that, it is hard to see many similarities.
One is Republican, the other Democrat.
One is conservative, the other liberal.
At one point in the discussion, Chris Matthews pointed his finger at Phil Donahoe and said, “You know what makes us so different from each other? I love this country and think it is a great nation. You love this country, and think it is broken beyond repair.”
It is easy to be overwhelmed by pessimism, and to think that things around you are broken beyond repair.
It is easy to sometimes look around and say, “I’ve never seen it this bad. I remember when things were good, but now things are bad and they will never be good again.”
You may be pessimistic at your job.
These are difficult times. Businesses are suffering. I don’t care what business you are in, I’m sure you are feeling the effects of the economy of our nation. I know people who are in businesses in which they are struggling with whether or not to continue to stay open. They wonder how long they can take their loses without shutting down.
It’s easy to say, “Things have never been this bad. It won’t get any better.”
Pessimism.
Or maybe you are pessimistic in your family. Husbands and wives fight and argue. Unfaithfulness tears at the fabric of the marriage. Children are out of control. It is easy to say, “Things have never been this bad. It won’t get any better.”
Pessimism.
Or maybe you are pessimistic about our nation.
We are in a War with Terrorists. Our nation has been attacked, and we keep hearing threats of new attacks.
It is easy to say, “Things have never been this bad. It won’t get any better.”
Pessimism
Or maybe you are pessimistic about your church.
Our church is struggling with finances. We have been talking about this for a long time.
It’s easy to say, “Things have never been this bad. It won’t get any better.”
Pessimism.
In a sense, we are programmed into this pessimistic mode of thinking. I read an article a while back that said, “As much as 77% of everything we think is negative and counterproductive and works against us. People who grow up in an average household hear "No" or are told what they can’t do more than 148,000 times by the time they reach age 18.” (I don’t know who keeps count of stuff like this, but it is still and interesting article) “Result: Unintentional negative programming that must be overcome or we will become a victim of defeatism.” (Shad Helmstetter in Homemade, January 1987.)
We live in a world filled with discouraging situations, discouraging financial news and discouraged people.
Without question, the number one way reason that Christians do not ascend to the highest level of spiritual maturity is discouragement.
After, 9/11, 70% of the people in American admitted to feeling fearful, apprehensive or discouraged about life. People who are discouraged generally lack confidence, enthusiasm or the conviction to do what is best.
Today, many people are easily dissuaded, deterred or detoured from the path God wants them to be on. When people feel disenchanted they are less likely to love, to give or to serve, as they should.
Many people get sick and miss work because they feel discouraged. Millions are depressed and need medication for their bouts with depression. More Christians are disengaged from Christian fellowships today because they have somehow given in to feelings of discouragement or have internalized their setbacks and say, "What is the use?”
Zerubbabel in our Old Testament lesson was facing an overwhelming task. Zurubbabel was one of the Jews who was born and raised in exile. He was one of the people who returned to the homeland. More than that, he was the governor of the province.
Encouraged by the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua began the work of finishing the rebuilding of the temple that had been started many years earlier.
But the work was discouraging.
Pessimism permeated everyone.
The foundation of the temple had been started 20 years earlier and the work set aside. People had grown accustomed to seeing the unfinished work as a symbol of failure.
To this Zechariah has on his mind the haunting question, “Is there anything that Zerubabbel can do to spur the people on to success?
The answer is “no.”
That is the bad news that no one likes to hear.
“Nothing can be done.” You hear a doctor say that and it is a death sentence.
You face the difficulties of your job, your marriage, our church – whatever and wherever the difficulties of life may be – and you hear the phrase, “Nothing can be done,” and it is a death sentence.
But the good news is that what we cannot do, God can do.
In Zechariah’s vision, the prophet hears the voice of God declare, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”
The conditioning of our culture and the realities of the circumstances we face bring us down to pessimism.
But the presence of God’s Holy Spirit lifts us to an encouragement. Not a false encouragement built on wishful thinking, but upon the strength and power of God.
It takes the might and power of God to repair the broken relationships between husbands and wives.
It takes the might and power of God to guide a Christian business through a difficult economy.
It takes the might and power of God to protect our nation.
It takes the might and power of God to do what human resources and abilities cannot do.
In our church, we are facing financial difficulties. We all know this.
I’ve never seen a church close its doors because of a lack of money. I do a lot of work in the Presbytery of Tropical Florida and I am often asked to meet with troubled pastors and sessions – and I’ve never seen any church shut down because of a lack of money.
Churches shut down because of a lack of faith. Churches shut down because they are overwhelmed by pessimism.
Jesus promised “I will build my church up a rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
Between pessimism and optimism, those are words of faith.
And don’t confuse faith with optimism.
Many of you have called me in recent days and pointed out that every week our bulletin has indicated an increase in giving. Which is true, those numbers are accurate. People are giving more this year than last year.
And every week the bulletin indicates that we are spending less than we spent last year. Those numbers are also true.
The optimists among us will say, income is rising, expenses are declining, everything is fine.
But that is not a healthy attitude.
It may be that one way to define optimism is to describe it as a “confidence in one’s self.”
Optimism is being confident that WE will prevail.
But we won’t.
That is the lesson of Zechariah.
The bad news is, “By ourselves, nothing can be done.”
We are not going to resolve the problems of our church finances with our own power, or the power of our money.
We are not going to resolve the problems of our families through our own charm and abilities.
We are not going to navigate our businesses through difficult economic times by our own wisdom.
Our nation will not be protected by military might alone.
That is the lesson of Zechariah. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”
Forget pessimism. Negative thinking will kill a church, a family or a business.
Forget optimism in yourself.
Instead, look to faith.
Remember the words of Zechariah. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” Says the Lord.
This past week the elders met for our monthly Session meeting. We ended the meeting by coming into the Sanctuary to look at the new organ, which had been delivered earlier that day. I told some of the elders that in my previous church, we purchased a new organ.
It was a hard process, and the church saved and raised money and finally, we got within reach. The committee could not decide between two organs – one was a Baldwin, the other a Rodgers. So we had both delivered to the church. We had a congregational meal and invited people to come and listen to both organs. The congregation decided on the Rodgers – but it was too expensive.
When the Session of that church met, everyone agreed that we would buy the Rodgers. The church just needed to raise a little more money.
Well, all elders except one.
One elder was the voice of pessimism.
Within 10 minutes, the rest of the Session agreed. It’s too much for us. Can’t be done. They decided not to buy any organ at all.
I asked the elders if there was anything that I could say or do to persuade them to purchase the organ.
“Pray for a miracle,” one of the elders said.
But the way he said it, I knew he didn’t really believe God would listen to my prayers.
To tell you the truth, neither did I.
But that Sunday morning, I arrived at the church early.
I knelt at the end of each pew and laid hands on the pew and prayed that God would move someone in that pew to step forward with a pledge to contribute to the organ fund.
I prayed that same prayer at each pew, and when I was finished, I felt certain that God would move a number of different people to contribute to the organ fund and that by the end of the day, we would have enough accumulated pledges to pay for that last amount of money we needed.
But that didn’t happen.
No group of people came forward.
Instead, only one person came forward.
But that one person promised to pay whatever the difference was in the organ fund.
What that church did not have the power to do, the Spirit of God was able to do.
This church now has a new organ as well. We didn’t do it on our own power – but by the Spirit of God.
You want to feel pessimistic? You want to look at your church, or your family, or you nation and think – “things are bad and will never get any better”?
Fine – think that way and be left behind.
To the rest of you, I invite you to have faith! And move into the future. Move forward.
Not by your own power.
But by the might and power of the Spirit of God.
