Spirit-Secured Success (Zechariah 4:6-10)
6 Then he said to me, âThis is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of âGrace, grace to it!â
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
The purpose of this message is to help us remember that our works or achievements as the people of God are achieved not by our own efforts or abilities but by the Spirit of God. Our text today is about the nation of Israel but the principles apply to the church and to the individual believer.
As a church, and as individual believers, we need to always strive for excellence when it comes to serving the LORD. We should always make every effort to be successful servants of the LORD. Now, people may have different definitions or perspective on success, or even ways to measure it. For fast-food establishments or restaurants, success may be measured by the number of people who order food and the frequency by which the orders are received. For hospitals and medical establishments, success may be measured by the number of people that were made physiologically better through medication or number of fatalities that were avoided through medical operations. For BPO or call center companies, success may be measured by the companyâs ability to deliver positive results or solutions by following client-mandated protocols. But for the believer and the church, our success should be defined and measured by one thing and one thing only: our ability to follow Godâs will for us.
My question for us today is this: âHow successful are you now in terms of obeying Godâs will?â âWell, Iâd say 7 out of 10 Iâm able to obey Godâs will for me.â â10 Commandments? By average I hit 8 out of 10 on a daily basis.â But remember that itâs not a matter of quantifying how many times we are able to obey Godâs will but, rather, our attitude when it comes to obeying Godâs will. Do we rely on our own abilities? God forbid! If we rely on our own power or strength, we are doomed to fail. The key is to rely on Godâs empowerment through the Holy Spirit.
Martin Luther, the man who almost single-handedly challenged the established teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and changed the course of history, had his own share of melancholic episodes. Early in their marriage, Martin Lutherâs wife watched him battle bouts of depression, even to the extent of questioning Godâs willingness or ability to help him through a difficult trial. Without saying a word, his wife donned a black dress and veil, reserved for times of mourning. When Luther asked why she was dressed that way, she commented, âBecause God is dead. Itâs obvious by the way youâre acting.â [Unpublished class notes from Dr. John Hannah, Church History 201, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1976]
The point of the story is that Godâs not dead! Heâs alive and He is with us through our trials. He will see us through and will make us victorious.
Pastor and blogger Dennis Davidson writes, âGod has designed His born again people so that they may be empowered for glory and service.â Do you believe that? I believe it and for me it implies two things. First, when God tells us to do something for His glory, He will give us the ability to accomplish it for Him. Secondly, and as a result of the former, we should not boast of any accomplishments by claiming it as our own. God deserves all the glory and we are just His instruments. Consequently, if we are doing Godâs will, and we fail, itâs not our failure but Godâs. And we all know thatâs never gonna happen. If we are obeying Godâs will for our life, our success is Godâs success, which is always sure.
As we study Zechariah 4:6-10, my prayer is that our confidence in God will grow. There may be a huge spiritual obstacle before you right now, blocking your path in your Christian walk. Others may be carrying burdens, slowing us down in our walk with God. Some of us may be planning or have just started doing something big for God in the workplace, in school, or at home, and are already being overwhelmed by rejection or even insults. The encouragement in our passage today is to finish what we have begun because God will see us through. Victory will come by Godâs power.
The context of the Book of Zechariah is the rebuilding of the Temple. The Jewish people had just come through a very difficult time in history. They had been captive for many years and their land had been destroyed. During the time of Zechariah, however, many of the Jews had returned home to live and the city had been rebuilt. But the Temple of God was still lying in heaps of brick and rubble. Zechariah was encouraging them to build a new Temple, even a smaller one. The people, however, had doubts about their ability to build a house for God. They didnât have as much resources and manpower as Solomon did when he first built the Temple. They just didnât see how it would be possible. Â Iâm sure many of these doubters presented logical explanations on why this task is impossible to accomplish. But God reminded them that His power transcends logic. His power goes beyond human understanding.
Itâs important to note that the people of Israel had already restored the land so they were already getting back on their feet as a nation. But Godâs concern was not just national, it was spiritual. The outward restoration of the land of Israel would have been of little lasting value if there had not been spiritual renewal as well. And the Temple was the symbol of their life with God. It needed to be rebuilt or they would forget their God.
In Chapters 1-3, Zechariah was guided by the angel of the LORD through a series of visions which reveal several clear promises. In Chapter 4, the angel of the LORD interpreted the vision to Zechariah.
       1. The temple will be rebuilt by divine power (v. 6b). âNot by might, nor by power, but by my Spiritâ is more of an adverbial phrase than a sentence since it doesnât have a subject or predicate. It seems to have been expressed as a slogan. But the point of the sentence is that the Temple will be rebuilt, but not by human strength. The word might is from the Hebrew âhayilâ which means âstrength, capability, or skillâ while the word âpowerâ is from âkoahâ which can mean âphysical strength, vigor of good health, or simply the ability to accomplish an actionâ [KM Hebrew Dictionary].  Putting the negative first â ânot by mightâ â stresses the total inadequacy of human strength to do the work of the LORD. The repetition of the negative â ânor by powerâ â adds emphasis to this even more. Then by the adversative âbutâ we have Godâs promise â âbut by my Spirit.â
       2. The obstacles to the work will be removed (v. 7a). The text uses a rhetorical question â âWhat are you, O great mountain?â The word âmountainâ is from the Hebrew âharâ which can be âa hill or mountain, or a range of hills or mountainsâ [KM Hebrew Dictionary]. When used in the Bible, mountains are frequently symbolic of any huge obstacle in the way (cf., Mt. 17:20; Ps. 30:7). In this passage this âgreat mountainâ is rebuked and it will become a plain before Zerubbabel which means that the obstacle will disappear!
       3. Godâs word will be fulfilled (v. 9c). The announcement simply says, âThen you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.â The completion of the Temple would confirm that it was the LORDâs work and there would be no other explanation of the success.
i. The Vision is the Word of the LORD â 4:6
The revelation was filled with symbolism (e.g., read 4:2-3) but nevertheless designed to communicate the Word of God. This message is therefore prophetic both in the sense of foretelling and forthtelling. The former is true prophecy predicting something in the future; the latter is the prophetic sermon rebuking or encouraging the immediate audience. The prophet, and the people, may not have understood all that God had in mind for the future through this vision; but they certainly would understand the message for their own experience [http://www.christianleadershipcenter.org/zech6.htm].
ii. The Vision is a Message of Encouragement and Instruction â 6b-10
God tells the people of Israel that they need not fear. It was ânot by might nor by powerâ (human strength, possibly political power) but âby my Spiritâ (Godâs power) that the Temple will be rebuilt. The people just needed to believe and obey! Unfortunately, whenever one attempts to do anything for God, one can expect there will be some critic that will say it canât be done.
[The following statements are taken from official documents, newspapers and magazines widely read during their day. Listen to what the "authorities" had to say: 1840 - "Anyone traveling at the speed of thirty miles per hour would surely suffocate." 1878 - "Electric lights are unworthy of serious attention." 1901 - "No possible combination can be united into a practical machine by which men shall fly." 1926 - (from a scientist) "This foolish idea of shooting at the moon is basically impossible." 1930 - (another scientist) "To harness the energy locked up in matter is impossible." There have always been those who said, "It can't be done." Yes, even the experts can be wrong. But the real tragedy is that 99 percent of the people believed them. -- Source Unknown]
In one of our class sessions, Dr. Gadiel Isidro asked us what we think is the difference between logic and faith. His answer was this: âWhen logic stops, faith continues.â Human logic may continue to expand as our understanding of the universe we live in grows. But thereâs always a point where it will stop. But our faith should not stop with it! Our faith in God must always transcend human logic because Godâs power is not bound by it.
Is God telling you to do something for Him and you find it overwhelming and impossible by all human logic? Obey Him anyway! God promises that you will accomplish it, not by your own strength, but by His power. Christian life is not hard⌠itâs impossible. Thatâs if we trust in our own strength. If we trust in Godâs power, thatâs when we receive the strength to live a victorious Christian life.
The same is true for the church. God gave us a great commission to fulfill. Many times it could be very difficult, almost impossible. Not enough funds. Not enough human resources. Not enough time. Not enough of almost everything that we need. Remember that God never said that it will be easy. But He does promise that He will give us the power to accomplish His will. We just need to trust and obey Him!
In his Deathless Sermon he preached in May 30, 1972, William Carey had only 2 points: âAttempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.â I daresay that the moment the church stops attempting great things for Godâs glory marks the spiritual decline of the church, even her spiritual death.
["Let's build a bridge across the Niagara," someone proposed nearly a century ago. Great idea, it would save miles of travel and solve many problems. But how were they to begin? The canyon walls were too steep, and the rapids were too wild to get that first strand across from cliff to cliff. Then someone got a bright idea. They'd offer a ten dollar prize to the kid who could fly a kite from one side to the other. That's how the first string got across. It was then connected to larger string, and it in turn was connected to a slender cable. And the slender cable was connected to the strong cable that made the entire construction possible. When the project was first announced, the critics laughed at the project. When they heard that a "kite was going to solve the problem," the sophisticated engineers had a field day. Well, history had the last laugh. One young boy, Homan Walsh, flew the first string across the chasm with his kite in 1848. He succeeded and the process worked just as it was envisioned. The boy collected his ten dollars; the great suspension bridge was started with a single string. -- Source Unknown]
Our church may be small today but we should not despise the day of small things. The important thing is we follow Godâs will for us. Thatâs already success. That, in itself, counts as victory. And we need to continue attempting greater things for God. In result, God will show us greater things for His glory. Not by our might or power, but by Godâs Spirit.
Message by Efraim Sumaway
Delivered on June 12, 2016 at Christâs Throne of Grace (https://www.facebook.com/Christs-Throne-of-Grace-Fellowship-545907422184391/)
