It's a great pleasure to be with you all.
Again, I was here a few weeks ago and this week I also brought
my wife with me and my wife. Christina is back there with our
son Donovan. We take you.
Yes, they deserve a round of hearty Applause.
Normally we would be a Church of the Resurrection and a Sunday
morning where I'm part of the clergy team there.
If you don't know me, my name is Steve like and but I'm delighted
to be here and help serve you all this morning.
It's great to be here. Once upon a time, there was a
thing called a global pandemic. And there was a man there are
those who call him, Jim, who found himself in the midst of
it. Jim was leading his rather
humdrum life when the pandemic hit, but he quickly found
himself in what seemed like a rather favorable position,
despite the Raging pandemic around him, he could work from
home, he got a pandemic, pay raises and bonuses to keep him
from Quitting his job, he got stimulus checks from the
government. So, flush with new cash and sick
of the same old, same old at home.
He bought a new 4K TV for those long, pandemic nights and then
took out a loan and added. A new addition to his home And a
few months later as things open back up, he put an expensive
vacation on his credit card. We earned it.
He thought, after all we've been through he assured himself and
his wife, Jessica that everything will be fine.
After all, his retirement investment account was growing
in Leaps and Bounds as Market soared flush, with stimulus
cash. And he thought I've got a good
paying job. We can easily pay off this
additional debt. or so, he thought Until one day, the
pandemic waned life seemed to return to more or less normal
but Jim's company now faced desperate circumstances High
interest rates and soaring inflation kit.
The bottom line. Hard Jim came to work one Friday
morning. Sorry, his boss said you can go
home early. And not come back.
Initially Jim was too proud to tell his wife, he had been laid
off and he had not really kept her up to speed on the family
finances. Either things were looking a
little more grim. So we went away on a weekend
getaway with his buddies, he needed some time to think to
process to decompress and connect with his friends,
especially at a time like this, they went to a buddy's cabin in
the woods and right down the road from a newly-opened casino.
Feeling lucky and a bit touched by the spirit, Jim tapped into
the last bit of his family savings to ante up at the
blackjack table. A good night or two.
Here he thought and a big chunk of those debts will be paid off.
or so, we thought until he lost and he lost and he drank, and he
drank until on the drive, back to the cabin, he saw in his
rearview mirror, those unmistakable flashing lights,
his foolishness and his sins suddenly and not surprisingly
caught up with him. In a sudden movement.
In many ways, Jim is a parable for what Israel had become in a
time of the Prophet Zechariah for many folks today, maybe for
our society, in general, and for The Human Condition in Israel's
day, they had foolishly squandered the great provision
of the Lord in a return to the land from Exile and a rebuilding
of the Temple. They had foolishly and sinfully,
followed false prophets. Who told them in essence that
the bill would never come? Do you could live life as you
wished? And they sinfully succumbed to
the idolatrous worship of Canaanite Gods, which
incidentally, offering featured Temple sex, a much more enticing
form of worship than of the Lord God?
Yahweh, No Doubt. Today.
How many folks, and how much of our society, in a way finds
itself in a similar situation? We're self-indulgence has
replaced. Responsibility.
Were squandered opportunities wasted on Comforts betting.
That the bill would never come due.
Having bowed at the idols of material success and pleasure.
It's easy to fall into that trap.
It's easy for all of us. Indeed to prioritize the
material and the Indulgence of ourselves to deceive ourselves
and maybe others around us at least for a season.
That destruction is not around the bend.
She said here this morning, is there any part of you that looks
like Jim? If so, I have some bad news for
you. It's probably going to get worse
before it gets better. For the gyms of this world.
That's a sad truth. but, The prophet Zechariah and I'm here.
Join with him in telling you that there is one good step, one
Surefire bet, you can make this day that will inevitably lead
you to better times. you can embrace the failure in the pain
and confess your sins in the Lord will forgive And as ours
reading from Zakaria tells us the Lord is all about dealing.
With people stuck in precisely that kind of trap.
In fact, as we open our reading starting in chapter in Chapter
14, verse 1, the children of Israel are they have been
plundered from the Invaders invading countries around them.
He knew not what to do. When would this end these
Invaders were sent in judgment for their sin.
But the Lord is a god of mercy and forgiveness and he provides
a way of Escape for those who truly trust him.
We still May face the consequences are
responsibilities for our failure, but the good news and
Zechariah 14 is that's not the end of the story.
For a season. We may find ourselves amidst the
ruin of our own choices at the Lord.
God is good. He is faithful.
And just, not only to forgive your sins, but to deliver those
who confess and return to him in place of a finite, human bank
account that will inevitably run dry.
We have in the Lord Jesus Christ, an infinite bank account
hope And God's faithfulness in spite of what we do.
Amen. Praise the Lord.
I think that's good news and Zechariah 14 tells us here for
ways in which we can draw upon that bank account of Hope and
faithfulness for ways that God himself wants to replace the
desperation of our situation with a hope and confidence in
him. Way, number one and you load in
our passage. If you're looking at the text
there in or in our bulletin, it's punctuated by a series of
on that day, each one kind of marks out another element and
another depth to, which the Lord's salvation and deliverance
will come to those who face potentially desperate
situations. Way number one on that day.
You read in verses 3 through 5. The Lord leads his people out.
The Lord himself comes in Deliverance.
You might feel stuck Wherever You Are.
But the Lord knows and he cares and he is coming.
What's really striking In this passage is that the Lord.
Does it just like send his angels to deliver people, or he
doesn't raise up. A mighty leader like, say Moses
to help deliver his people out of Israel, of the prophetic
literature. In the Old Testament.
This one is stunning. The Lord himself comes At the
end of every intervention that the Lord in the Old Testament,
has on behalf of the children of Israel, which in case you
haven't read, it happens a lot. The Lord himself comes.
In the midst of their unfaithfulness, he is faithful
and he is present. God normally chose keep people
to do his work. But if the last it chose him,
sell his only begotten son. This is the great and glorious
mystery of the Gospel. Preached right here, in the
heart of the prophetic, literature of the Old Testament,
none other than the Lord God himself, can truly save you.
even if the consequences you are languishing in or what you
probably deserve, Lord, Jesus Christ goes before you sending
himself as your savior and deliverer.
A great example of this in my own life was when I foolishly as
a teenager. One night took the car out for
an ill-advised drive with some friends of mine which ended
again with the headlights going like this, in the rearview
mirror and a cop threatening to slap me with not one, not two,
but three tickets for drag racing.
Another car for running a red light and for speeding through
the town of we knew annoy true story.
They arrived for us to go to court and hear this case and my
Dad decided to come with me. Which, you know?
Yeah. I'm seeing Rick there.
Gulping. That could be a gulp of moment.
This was the best moment you can imagine.
Because my dad showed up and when it was time for me to come
and speak to the judge. My dad said judge, if you
wouldn't mind, I'd like to say a word or two.
A, my dad in effect took it all on himself.
I got court supervision. The tickets eventually went
away. But I had come to my dad and my
moment of need I had confessed dad, I did it.
A my dad showed up like a figure of Jesus in my life to advocate
for me. Whatever your circumstances,
that's what the Lord is here to do.
He makes away and what was amazing in that core experience
was just to have the presence of my dad there with me.
What he wasn't there to condemn, her judge me, but he was there
to advocate for me is presence, made all the difference in the
world and so too. Does the Lord's presence in your
life in the context here though of Zechariah 14, what the Lord
also does is he says he stands on the Mount of Olives and makes
a cleavage in the Mount of Olives.
Tours of Valley opens up. And you might say, well, what's
the big deal with that? Well, if you know your Jerusalem
geography, the Mount of Olives is kind of an impediment to
anybody who would escape a plundering invading Army to your
East Side, everyone can't get around the Mount of Olives fast
enough. Quick enough to get out of town.
But what Zakaria the image here is of the Lord is going to come
here, if it requires separating the Mount of Olives into and
opening up, a flat Valley for us to walk through, he's going to
do it. Just like you know, you remember
when he separated the Seas of the Red Sea, we walk through on
dry ground, remember that? You see the Lord's testimony of
his faithfulness is self-evident because all of his acts for his
people are just like that. In our sin, we didn't deserve
yet. The Lord comes and he dies upon
a cross and takes it all the sin of the world upon himself.
So, whatever your situation is, we have got Red Sea cleave
cleavage in the Mount of Olives. And across standing on a hill
outside of Jerusalem. to tell us that the Lord is about making
ways where it seems impossible Final point to notice in this
first one its key is we're going a little more depth here.
The other ones are quicker, trust me, but notice at the end
of this in verse 5 Pete the Lord himself comes.
He's going to lead his people out.
He says, for all the holy ones with him, this is key.
Don't overlook this part. Because the Lord's salvation is
not just free cheap Grace for you.
It comes at the cost of true repentance.
True amendment of life in the context of Israel, there were
those who had succumbed to the idolatrous worship to the way of
their age. Was that Remnant, that righteous
remnant. if you truly trust and put your faith in the Lord to
where you step forward, trusting in Him and obeying him, The
Lord's. Deliverance is a sure as the day
is in the morning. So the message here is clear,
are you one of the Holy ones? Have you sought that forgiveness
from the Lord for your foolishness or sins or from
others who you might have wrong or who you might have impacted?
That's a good practical way to line up and get ready for the
Deliverance of the Lord, on the day of the Lord.
Second on the day of the Lord comes with what is amazing here.
A miraculous light, not just the light of the Dawn, but a light
that will illuminate the night as well.
When the Lord comes it, often comes with miraculous
Supernatural power, even over the forces of nature where
again, Things seemed impossible like Red Seas in your way.
All of a sudden there is a way. And this way, that the prophet
Zechariah stresses, here is a way of light and illumination,
indeed where the presence of the Lord is there is light.
So if you confess your sins and you are reunited with him his
presence, his power will bring you that True Light.
We in our family had a reminder of that this week when a family
member in our extended family have been going through a really
difficult local time and lacked resources and provision to help
care for one of their immediate family members.
But we received the wonderful word that this week, the exact
amount of money they needed for this person's care came through,
in an unexpectedly, large bonus at work.
Praise the Lord. Light in a dark place where it
seems hopeless mer Miracle. Sometimes really, truly do
happen but I can tell you, maybe you think, hey, look, I've never
had a miracle in my life and I kind of think that may be
subject to your own interpretation of events.
Let me just tell you one Miracle that's available to us each and
every day. And it's namely the miracle of
the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
When we turn to the word of God, which the psalmist tells us is a
lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
Have you ever had that experience?
Where if you sit with the word of the Lord, with the scripture,
open it suddenly illuminates, the darkness in your own light,
that's a miracle that's waiting for you.
Whether you've experienced it or not, you can go back to the word
of God and you will find light or another way to experience
that miraculous light is through prayer.
I always pray with my journal open.
Ready to grab that idea. That comes to me because I
sometimes get the most amazing Illumination in prayer you know,
before it flits away from my ADHD addled brain.
But prayer, again, another free access point here to the miracle
of light. Here's the key.
Take away your light might not come in the form of miraculous
provision of resources, like it did for this family member of
mine, but it might come from the inner illumination of the word
of God or through prayer, through listening, more deeply
to the Lord. To the one who saved in your
moment of need. And when you do that, when you
buy your actions confess, hope in God, salvation through his
word and through prayer, I can guarantee you the light of his
presence and illumination will come.
As surely as the dawn of the day.
There's an one more on that day in our passage on that day.
Number three. And this is really the Glorious
high point of the entire chapter.
It's maybe even the Glorious high point of the entire book of
Zechariah, as it turns out, it's the promised coronation of the
Lord as King in verses 8 and 9. Note here.
How? It's again, a Messianic promise
fulfilled. Not by some servant of the Lord
who is someone else other than the Lord.
But the Lord himself. Now, is King over all the Earth.
This is the coronation that is being foretold at the very end
of days, but it's a coordination event that happened on another
Hill outside of Jerusalem. Where is the Lord Jesus wore his
kingly crown in terms of a crown of thorns.
And what's wonderful In this passage is that the coronation
of the King, right? When he the king is crowned and
seated upon his throne, that is the heralding always in
political life as well as in scripture of the perfect union.
Now of justice and peace, come home.
Where there was disorder and Chaos, there now is Justice and
rule of law where there was need and, and people were homeless,
and and desperate in their circumstance.
There was peace and true, Comfort return to the land, and
it symbolized here. In Zacharias, wonderful
prophecy. Ask streams of Living Water that
flow from Jerusalem to the East and to the West feeding
continually, to great seas. One on the under the West, the
Mediterranean and the other on the east.
You see this King that we have. Himself is living water.
He himself is true, man. I come down from heaven, true
provision. And so the idea here is just a
spectacular one. That this kingship, which has
already initially come in the life, the suffering, the death,
the burial and resurrection of the Lord, Jesus is still coming
in its fullness and it is a source of unending provision and
comfort symbolized by this living water that never ends.
In other words, when you in the midst of your situation, feel
hopeless. Do you ever just stop?
And realize that the king who once came in first century
Palestine, he's coming again. Do you hold on to that hope and
his ultimate coronation? The day, when everything truly
is going to be set, aright do in the midst of it, get to present
minded on your own circumstance and not see the way that
scripture always. And it has this faithful Rhythm.
It happens throughout the Old Testament fulfilled in the new,
through the New Testament. Now, into our own day, the
dynamic of the now, and the not yet the harbinger of things to
come, and it's great. It's great stuff.
To whatever your circumstances. Don't be too burdened by it.
It's your kid just bask in the glow that Lord.
You have done this before you're going to do it again.
Amen. Is that is what's going to
happen. That's what's going to be.
Our Fate is to dwell with our king forever.
And it brings us to our concluding on that day at the
very end in verses 20 and 21. You may find it a little strange
there where there's talk of pots and cooking vessels and you're
like, okay pots and bowls, I don't get it.
What do you what do you kitchen utensils?
Have to do with this right? It doesn't make much sense.
If you don't understand the context, We're pots were the
most common kind of mundane cooking vessel used to prepare
like the sacrificial meat for instance, offered on in
sacrifice, in the temple. But bowls were sacred
instruments of worship where you could bring forward sacrifices
lamps as well as incense and other sacrifices, by the way.
It would be big bowls of it, but right, just FYI.
But what's interesting, what's going on here?
In this, In this passage, it says, pots will now be used as
bowls. Something that's profane kind of
common in ordinary on that day will be turned into something
sacred. You get what their lord is
saying here? The Lord is going to completely
restore that which is ordinary broken and profane is going to
transform it into something, wonderful.
A situation that Zacharias people found themselves in was
desperate. But even in the midst of that,
the Lord's presence is going to provide them ways of
transforming desperate, things into things, why there's
something new. I myself went through a few
years ago, a pretty desperate time of my life where I found
myself, unemployed. And I can tell you some of the
sit ordinary things, like, getting up in the morning and
praying going for a walk and exercising began to transform my
life. And even through the hardship,
there was some Glory that started to flicker into my life.
As the Lord took things that had previously not really noticed or
worked on and use them for his glory.
In their day, it was so key because their worship have been
corrupted by following false teachers into idolatrous worship
their worship, a been rendered ineffectual and phony.
It would like, come to offer sacrifices to the Lord after
first, having gone to the Canaanite gods, and if that
didn't work, then maybe they would go try the Lord.
For these idolatrous faiths and for us in our broken ways, we
sometimes treat worship as merely transactional as kind of
a way of appeasing, an Angry God or seeking his favor.
This passage tells us live your life on your knees before.
The Lord don't come each Sunday looking for a quick fix come
here looking truly to meet the Lord in a new way so that Monday
isn't just like Monday Monday is like Sunday.
Tuesday is like Sunday, everyday is like a day.
Spent dwelling with the Lord. And you truly will experience
the transformation of the ordinary and mundane things of
your life. Whatever is sinful in, you will
be re me new after the image and glory of the God who comes to
say in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
after the image and glory of the God who comes to say in the name
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,