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I. OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

II. TEXT:

Zechariah 4:6-14 (CSB)

So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies. 7 ‘What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you. 10 For who despises the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the ceremonial stone[b] in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

11 I asked him, “What are the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?” 12 And I questioned him further, “What are the two streams[c] of the olive trees, from which the golden oil is pouring through the two golden conduits?”

13 Then he inquired of me, “Don’t you know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.

14 “These are the two anointed ones,” he said, “who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

III. SETTING:

The book Zechariah was written during the time shortly after the people of ancient Judah had returned from being captives in Babylon for seventy years. Zechariah is like the “book of Revelation” of the Old Testament. It is filled with symbolic visions whose purpose is to encourage its hearers that God was in control despite what things in the world might indicate.

Most of the Judahites had not seen Jerusalem before. What they knew of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah was what they had heard from their parents and grandparents. They were born in Babylon. They had been born in the nation, the city, that was the metropolitan capital of the Ancient Near Eastern world. The walls around Babylon were immense. The hanging gardens of Babylon were one of the wonders of the ancient world. Baylon was at the top of education, politics, and technology, and military might. Babylon was glorious. The Judahites returning to Jerusalem saw crumbled walls and a temple and city that was left in ruins decades ago.

The potential for discouragement was all around. God raised up the prophets Zechariah and Haggai. They were commissioned by the LORD to encourage the people. The Jewish people were patriotic. They were excited about beginning again. They believed the LORD had sent the small group to rebuild, to do something great. God had stirred their hearts. God had stirred the heart of Cyrus the king of Persia to allow them the go home and rebuild. But, seeing the size of it could be overwhelming…

Zechariah is the fifth vision in the book of Zechariah. It is addressed to a leader of the Judahites named Zerubbabel, which means “born in Babylon.” God understands who we are and when he calls us to work for him, he meets us as we are. Zerubbabel was doing something new. It was his first time. There is a message in this for Pastor Omar and Andrea.

This is your one-year anniversary service. You’re doing something you haven’t done before at the House of Prayer. And to this congregation, “You are doing something new.” There are four principles in this vision that I want to share with you this afternoon.

IV. PREACHING POINTS:

1. HUMAN EFFORT ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH

It would have been very easy for Zechariah to depend on the support of Babylon [the Persian empire]. They were making the decrees that allowed them to go home. It was in Babylon that Zerubbabel had received his education, his training, and his wealth. His view of the world, in part was shaped by Babylon. But, God reminds him that it is not by might or power [military strength].

Our dependence should be on the LORD from the beginning to the end. He says it is “by My Spirit.” The Spirit is that which animates and enlivens and moves.

It was the Spirit of the LORD that had stirred the hearts of those who decided to return to Jerusalem. It was the Spirit of the LORD that stirred the heart of Cyrus and the succeeding kings of Persia to make decrees to allow Judah to return to Jerusalem.

The Spirit of the LORD:

Blows like the wind

You can hear the sound, but

Cannot tell where it comes from’

Or where it is going.

You can feel its effects,

The leaves are rustling.

It was the Spirit of the LORD that hovered over the face of the abyss,

The Spirit was in Joseph giving wisdom to manage the affairs of Egypt,