ZECHARIAH 3 GOD GIVES ANOTHER CHANCE TO SERVE2016 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Zechariah 3 God Gives Another Chance To Serve

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2016. All right, we're going to be in Zechariah chapter 3 and looking at the whole chapter together. So let's begin by reading verses 1 through 10 here in Zechariah chapter 3. Verse 1 says...

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the angel and

Then he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And to him he said, See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes. And I said, Let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the angel of the Lord stood by. Then the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, Verse 7,

Thus says the Lord of hosts,

For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua, upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, says the Lord of hosts, everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.

We're here in Zechariah chapter 3 instead of the book of Acts because Zechariah is where we are at right now in the Bible in three years. And I was...

As I was reading through Zechariah chapter 3 as part of the morning reading, the Lord just began to stir my heart and stir up some things and put some things on my heart and really give me some things to share with you. And so we want to take some time this evening to look at this passage where we have this occasion where Joshua, in a sense, is on trial.

Now Joshua, this is not the Joshua of Moses' day who went on to succeed Moses and lead the people into the promised land. This is taking place after the people of Israel had been taken captive to Babylon. And during the time of, well, in Ezra chapter 5 and 6, you have the restoration where the people come back, they're released to go back to Jerusalem from Babylon to rebuild the temple.

And Zechariah was one of the prophets who was part of that time period. Zechariah and Haggai are actually those who called the people back to work on the temple. Because as they went to work on the temple, they stopped. And the work halted for a couple reasons. But after some years, the Lord calls them back to finish the temple. And he gives that call through the prophet Zechariah as well as the prophet Haggai.

And so Joshua is there during Zechariah's time, and he is the high priest for the nation. As they're going back to Jerusalem, as they're rebuilding the temple and seeking to reestablish Jerusalem,

the sacrifices and the practicing of the law that they had been given, which was appropriate. This was all before Jesus came. And so it was appropriate for them to go back and necessary. And so Joshua had this significant role in that work of God and in that plan that he had for his people.

And here we find him kind of on trial. He's standing before the Lord with the adversary, the accuser there next to him. And as we look at this, there's a couple ways to understand this passage.

But my perspective on it is that this vision that Zechariah receives is concerning Joshua, the actual guy who actually existed, and it accurately pictures what was happening in the spiritual realm regarding Joshua. But there's also a further understanding of the chapter where we see Joshua as a representative of Israel and a picture of what God wants to do with the nation of Israel as a whole.

But as we look at this this evening, I want to really focus on the man Joshua and relate to it a little bit personally as we look at this person who had a significant place in the work of God and in the plan of God. And here what we see actually happen is that Joshua is given another chance to serve God.

And so that's what I've titled the message this evening. God gives another chance to serve.

We find throughout the scriptures that God is a God of second chances, and then third chances, and then fourth chances. And he gives us chances, and we need every chance that God gives us because we mess up and we blow it over and over again, time and time again. And so here's a great reminder, and I pray it's a great encouragement to you, that God gives another chance to serve him.

That you and I still have opportunity to be part of the work of the kingdom of God, to be part of the plan of God, that God has not given up on us, but that he is giving us another chance to serve him and to walk with him.

And so there's four things I'd like to highlight as we work our way through the chapter here. The first point is found in verses one and two here of Zechariah chapter three. Point number one is God rebukes the opposing enemy. Looking at verse one again, here's what it says. Then he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. So here's the vision that

Zechariah receives. He sees Joshua, the high priest. He's standing before the angel of the Lord, which is quite possibly a reference to Jesus. So he's standing before the Lord and Satan is standing at his right hand to oppose him.

And so you have this scene, it's kind of like a courtroom scene where Satan is there as the accuser and he is accusing Joshua of some terrible things, seeking to disqualify Joshua from the role that God has for him, the plans and purposes that God has established for him and the work that God wants to do. And so Satan is there seeking to defeat the work of God in Joshua and the work of God through Joshua.

And that is a reality that we face, that there is an adversary, there is an opposer, an accuser of the brethren who is, well, primarily focused on defeating the work of God in our lives. Satan stands to oppose you much in the same way that he stood to oppose Joshua. Of course, we can also see this

In the book of Job, where Satan comes before the Lord and accuses Job before the Lord. And again, seeking to destroy the work of God in Job's life and defeat the plans of God. Satan has his own plans for destruction.

There's an interesting play on words here in the Hebrew. We don't quite catch it in the English. But when it says there in verse 1 that Satan was standing at his right hand to oppose him, the word Satan and oppose both mean accuser or to accuse. But it's just different forms. One's a noun and one is a verb. And so Satan is the noun. He's the accuser. And he stood at the right hand to accuse Joshua.

We find in Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 that Satan later on is going to be cast down out of heaven. And there it's announced in Revelation 12 10 that the accuser of the brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down. And so we understand that Satan is an adversary. He's against us.

the people of God, he's against you. And he stands night and day to accuse the brethren and to try to convince God to give up on the brethren, to try to convince God to, well, reject these people that are standing before him. But Joshua, like you and I, has the best defense attorney in the galaxy. Check out verse two. And the Lord said to Satan,

So Joshua is there standing before the Lord. Satan is there accusing Joshua to the Lord. And the Lord responds and says, the Lord rebuke you. He will not put up with these accusations. He will not put up with this opposition of the enemy.

Now, you and I, we do have this enemy who opposes us, and we experience that opposition. And we go through different seasons where perhaps we experience it in a more intense way, but it's ongoing all the time.

But there are those seasons where you really experience that spiritual warfare and you sense it, you feel it, and you know, man, there's a rocking that is going on. There's a sifting that is happening. And that opposition is real. But here's the encouraging thing as we look at verse 2. You have this same defense attorney that Joshua had. The Lord says to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, Satan.

The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. The Lord rebukes the enemy. He will not put up with these accusations against this man that he has chosen. At the end of verse two, it says, is this not a brand plucked from the fire?

And the idea here is that God has chosen Joshua and rescued him and delivered him. It's like if you were there building a fire and then you suddenly recognize there's something on the fire that's not supposed to be there. And so you rush and you grab it out of the fire before it can be permanently damaged. And that's the idea here. It's a brand plucked from the fire.

Now, in a sense, the nation of Israel has been going through the fire leading up to this time, that they've been in captivity in Babylon for their sin. And God has been doing a purging and cleansing the nation and the people who have come back to Israel to rebuild the temple. They are brands plucked from the fire.

And God looks at Joshua specifically and says this one, I've chosen him and I've rescued him from the destruction that he was in, from the mess that he was in. I've plucked him from the fire in a similar way that God has chosen you and he's plucked you and I from the fire.

Now, this passage, as I was reading through this and preparing it, reminded me of something that the Lord spoke to Peter in Luke chapter 22, verse 31 and 32. It says, the Lord said, Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.

And I think this is a good passage for us to consider in light of Zechariah chapter 3, because God rebukes the opposing enemy. That is, you're going to have this accuser until eternity, until we enter into the presence of the Lord. There's going to be this opposition, but it's not really your responsibility to...

thwart the plans of the enemy or to, you know, defeat the plans of the enemy or to handle that, the Lord is the one who's standing there beside you saying, the Lord rebuke you. That is, God will handle. He will defeat the plans of the enemy.

But that doesn't mean that we won't always feel and experience some of the work of the enemy. And that's what Jesus says to Peter. He says, hey, Peter, Satan has asked for you.

that he may sift you as wheat. He's going to shake you around. He's going to beat you up. There's going to be some shaking, some major shaking that happens in your life. And sometimes we experience that. And perhaps this past year, you know, 2016 has been a lot of seasons of that shaking and you felt that sifting that has taken place.

But again, like Joshua, Peter has the greatest defense attorney on the galaxy. In verse 32 of Luke 22, Jesus says, but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. So Peter, I'm going to allow this. There's going to be a sifting and it's, you know, going to rock your world. But I'm allowing this with the knowledge, with the confidence that I have prayed for you.

I am defending you and I'm taking care of you. And here's my prayer for you that your faith should not fail. I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail.

I'm going to allow this in your life, but I'm not going to allow this to be greater than you can handle. And Peter, I know that even though it will be shaking for you, it will be troubling to you. I'm rebuking the opposing enemy and it will not go beyond the limits and the scope that I will allow. Your faith will not fail. Now, Peter does fail, but

but his faith doesn't fail. It's not over. And God hasn't given up on him. And Jesus knows that going into it. And so he says, I've prayed for you that your faith should not fail. I'm not going to allow this to be greater than you can handle. I'm not going to allow this to, you know, cause you to abandon your faith. I've prayed for you. I've got your back. You're going to be sifted, but I'm with you. And then he says, when you've returned to me, strengthen your brethren.

That also indicates there is going to be a failure as far as Peter is concerned. And of course we see that happen as he denies the Lord three times. But yet even in that failure, his faith had not failed because Jesus had prayed for him. And even in that failure, it was not the end because he says, when that's over, when you've returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Strengthen your brethren. Come back.

Yeah, you're going to mess up. You're going to blow it, but come back and then strengthen the brethren that I've placed around you. This is the role that Jesus plays in your life. And you may experience that sifting and you may experience that. And maybe you feel that now more than other times or other times more than now, but, but you experience that. And in those times, it's easy to, to, well, the enemy plays with our minds and,

A lot of times we don't even need his help. We have our own imaginations where we begin to think that God is done with us, that God is given up on us, that he is, you know, fed up with us. And we forget that he is the one who is rebuking the opposing enemy and defeating the plans of the enemy. God, God has not given up on you and he will not give up on you.

And he may allow you to be sifted as wheat. And you may not like that, but you can take that up with him when you get up into his presence. But in the meantime, we need to trust him and remember, God rebukes the opposing enemy.

And he's dealing with all of the enemy's plans and tactics and sifting and techniques and accusations and everything the enemy brings against you. You have the best defender in the galaxy. You're a chosen vessel, a brand plucked from the fire. And God will not stand for the enemy's plans in your life. He won't allow you to experience what Satan wants you to experience.

Because he's chosen you. He rebukes the opposing enemy. Well, going on into verses three through five, here we have point number two, and that is God forgives and clothes with righteousness. Here's the thing that you need to know about Joshua. He was guilty. We refer to Satan as the accuser. He's also known as the father of lies, right? And Jesus said, when Satan speaks lies, he doesn't speak a foreign language, right?

He speaks his own language. That's his first language. It's not, you know, language as a second, or lying as a second language. He knows that. He's most fluent in lying than anything else. But here's the thing. Satan's accusations against Joshua were true. Let that sink in for just a second. Satan's accusations against Joshua were true. Satan is a liar, but he does not have to lie about our unworthiness, right?

He doesn't have to lie about our sinfulness. He doesn't have to lie about how ready we are to fire. He's the father of lies. That's his natural language. But when it comes to accusing the brethren, he doesn't have to lie. Notice what it says in verse three. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the angel. So here is Jesus defending Joshua against Satan and

But he's not defending an innocent person. He's defending a guilty person. Joshua is clothed with filthy garments. The word filthy here, it's said to be the strongest expression of filth in the Hebrew language. It's the most violent, loathsome way to put it. He was in filthy garments. The worst of the worst. It pictures, it represents filth.

there really was some issues in Joshua's life. He's the high priest. He's charged with, you know, bringing the nation back to the worship of God. And yet he has filthy garments. He's unworthy of the role. Not that anybody could be worthy of the role, but you understand he's guilty. He's filthy. And yet Jesus,

is defending him and defeating the plans of the enemy. In verse four, then he answered and spoke to those who stood before him saying, take away the filthy garments from him. And to him, he said, see, I have removed your iniquity from you and I will clothe you with rich robes. God gives some instruction here to his servants, let's say they're angels. He says, angels, take those clothes off of him.

He's got filthy garments. Take them away. But then he speaks to Joshua. And I just picture the Lord just looking directly at Joshua and saying, I've removed your iniquity from you. You're unworthy. You're filthy. You're wretched. All those accusations of the enemy are true. But check it out. I've removed your iniquity from you. I'm taking that away. And not only that, but I will clothe you with rich robes.

The picture there is, you know, the filthy garments being removed and you're being clothed instead with the righteousness of God. Instead of being covered in sin, that's being removed and the righteousness of God is there to cover you, Joshua. I'm going to clothe you in rich robes. And that's a big difference, right? It's one thing to have filthy garments taken away, right?

but God didn't just leave him there without garments. He then clothed him. And again, this picture is for us what we often refer to, that righteousness of Christ that clothes us, that we now have access to the Father by faith in Jesus Christ, because it's not just that our sins are forgiven, but that righteousness is put into our account so that God treats us as if we are as righteous as Jesus.

by faith in him. And God does this simultaneously. He forgives and clothes with righteousness so that we have access to God, so that we have the forgiveness, the cleansing, but also the credit. So it's one thing to say, you know, I never got a wrong answer. It's another thing to say, I got all the answers right, right? So if I refuse to answer the questions, then I could say, I never got a wrong answer.

Or if I take a test and I mess up all over the place, it's one thing for those places where I messed up to just not account against my greed. But it's another thing for all of those answers that I got wrong to be marked as right. And now I'm given credit even for every area that I missed the mark.

That's the picture here that he takes away the filthy garments. He takes away the sin, the iniquity, but then he credits righteousness. He credits, he clothes us with rich robes. Verse five. And I said, now Zechariah, the prophet's now interacting. He speaks up. Let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and they put the clothes on him. And the angel of the Lord stood by.

Zechariah speaks up. He's watching this unfold. And he says, hey, yeah, yeah, that's cool. While you're at it, you're putting the new robe on him. Hey, put a new turban on his head. And this has a little bit more significance. It's not just a hat, but the high priest wore a turban with a plaque on it that said, holiness to the Lord. Excuse me. Holiness to the Lord. Again, it speaks...

to the righteousness that Joshua would now stand in. It's kind of like the final piece of the garment. Now put on the hat that says holiness to the Lord. Here is Joshua, holy, set apart, declared righteous as God forgives him and clothes him with righteousness. Man, I don't know where that came from. Try to take a cough drop here. Meditate on that thought. The commentator Ironside says,

Here is the promise, the confidence that we have. Like Joshua, we can have this confidence. That everybody who comes to God wearing filthy garments,

And not trying to excuse and say, well, I know these look filthy, but it's really not my fault they got dirty because my husband, he's real messy and he splashed me with mud and it's all his fault that all this dirt got all over me. And so, it's not my fault. We approach God like that, excusing ourselves from our sin, then, well, that's not a way to receive forgiveness and being clothed in righteousness. But when we approach God...

in our filthy garments, acknowledging, I know my garments are filthy. I know I'm messed up. I know I'm filthy. And it's the worst of the worst word used for filth. I know it's wretched. I know it's horrible. God help me. Again, Ironside says, every repentant soul may approach God, knowing that for that kind of person, for that kind of approach to God, there is mercy and cleansing.

God is a God of second chances. And even when all of Satan's accusations against us are true and valid and right, and we have done everything that, well, that filthiness represents, we can come to God. He will defend us and defeat the plan of the enemy and cleanse us and give us robes of righteousness to wear.

The Apostle John in 1 John 2, verse 1 says, The exhortation is to not sin, but if or when you sin, here's what you need to know. You have an advocate with the Father.

And you can come to God in the filthiest of garments and know Jesus is there to cleanse you and clothe you in righteousness. Notice again here in verse five of Zechariah chapter three, Zechariah speaks up and says, let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put the clean turban on his head and they put the clothes on him.

And the angel of the Lord stood by. I'm not going to get into the details here, but the angel of the Lord is used throughout the scriptures and believed by many to be a reference to an appearance of Jesus. And as I look at those references, it makes sense. Here is Jesus standing by, standing by. It's a testimony of his support, of his approval, of his acceptance, right?

He's standing by. That doesn't mean he's, you know, on hold. That means he's standing there right next to him. He's on his side. In the same way, he's on your side. And when you sin, and that's not just when you, you know, mess up because traffic was bad and you lost your temper. But when you sin, whatever that actually may be describing, even if it's really bad, filthy garments. When you sin,

you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And by faith in Jesus Christ, you can come and be cleansed and be clothed with righteousness. Again, Ironside says, every repentant soul may approach God with this knowledge. You can come to God in repentance. Now again, if you come in with excuses and explanations and reasons why you're not guilty and why your garments aren't filthy, you can come to God in repentance.

That doesn't work. But to come with the acknowledgement, with the acceptance that this is who I am, this is what I did, but I come by faith in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness that he provides. You have an advocate with the Father. And so God gives another chance to serve. He gives another chance to be involved in his work.

That even the disqualified like Joshua, even the filthy, even those who are not worthy can be cleansed and clothed and given another opportunity to be part of the work of the kingdom of God. Satan is a liar, but he doesn't have to lie about our unworthiness. And we shouldn't try to lie about our unworthiness, but to come to God in truth, acknowledging that

who we are and what we do, what we have done and calling upon God for grace and mercy. You know, Hebrews tells us we can come to the throne of grace to find grace and mercy for help in times of need. And when do you need mercy and grace? When you're totally righteous and awesome and have no flaws? No, when do we need mercy and grace? When we're messed up. And he says, you can come boldly to the throne of grace, boldly.

with confidence, knowing that you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus is right there to cleanse you and clothe you in righteousness and give you another opportunity to walk with him and to serve him. Well, moving on to verse six and seven, we have point number three, and that is God calls you to walk in his ways. And here there's a little bit of a transition because, well, up to this point, we've seen God do all the work. Satan comes to accuse Joshua and

And the Lord stands up and says, the Lord rebuke you and defeats the accusations and the plans and the opposition of the enemy. And then there's Joshua and his filthy garments. And he just stands there and God says, take those garments away from him. The instruction isn't to Joshua, it's to the servants and the servants are acting and put new clothes on him. And the instruction isn't to Joshua, it's to the servants. And Zechariah speaks up and put the new

Turban on his head, holiness to the Lord. And Joshua doesn't have to do that. It's all done for him. This is all the work of God in his life up to this point. But now the Lord looks to Joshua in verse six. And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, if you will walk in my ways and if you will keep my command, then you shall also judge my house and likewise have charge of my courts.

I will give you places to walk among these who stand here. So God does the work of defeating the enemy. And he does the work of cleansing and clothing with righteousness. But then he says, okay, now you have a part to play as well. Here's your personal responsibility. I'll take care of Satan. I'll wash you and cleanse you. Now walk in my ways. I'll clean you up, put you back together, get you back on the path.

Now stay on the path and walk in my ways. And he gives Joshua an admonishment. The word there could also be translated, he charged him. You know, it's a serious exhortation. Joshua, listen up. You need to walk in my ways. It's some promises that God gives him, but they're conditional. He says in verse seven, if you will walk in my ways, if you will keep my command.

Then you shall also judge my house and then you'll have charge of my courts. And then I will give you places to walk among these who stand here. There's some good promises that God gives to Joshua that are conditional upon him walking in the ways of God. God is a God of second chances and third and fourth and fifth chances.

And that is awesome news because we all need all of those chances. Everyone that we get from God, we needed it and we will still need more. But we need to be careful not to mistake the chances that God gives us for just his acceptance of whatever sinful practice and lifestyle we want to live.

He cleans us up and he's faithful to do that. And we can trust, we have an advocate with the father, but he cleans us up and he puts us back on the path that he says, okay, now walk in my ways. It's like he told the woman who was caught in adultery, where are your accusers? Where's Satan? You know what happened to all her accusers? Jesus took care of them. He defeated that opposition. He defeated that plan of God, right? Or that plan of Satan. He took care of that.

Where are your accusers? And she says, there's no one left. And Jesus says, neither do I accuse you. You're cleansed, clothed. Now go and sin no more. He says, walk in my ways. Now from here on out, yeah, your past is messed up. This week is messed up. Your life is messed up. Yes, all of that is true. Now get back up. I'm cleansing you. I'm washing you. I'm clothing you.

Now walk in my ways. Walk in my ways. Now that doesn't mean you're not going to mess up again. But again, we go back and we have an advocate with the Father. And we need to get back up and walk in his ways and continue to walk in his ways. And there's promises from God, but they are conditional. You need to do your part. God would charge you and say, hey, I've got great things in store for you and opportunities for you to serve. Now walk in

in my ways. It's not a guarantee in the sense that no matter how you live, you get all the promises of God. It doesn't work that way. And you get other opportunities to walk with God and other opportunities to serve God, but there is the condition. And again, it's a good opportunity for us to kind of evaluate these things as we finish out 2016 and head into 2017. What kind of ways are you going to walk in this coming year?

And is there maybe a change that needs to take place? Is there maybe a change that needs to happen as you head into this new year that you would walk in the ways of the Lord and keep his commands that you may experience his promises and the fullness of all that he has for you? That perhaps the Lord is here admonishing you and saying, hey, yeah, 2016 has been a mess, huh?

You're filthy, just clothed in these horrible garments. But guess what? I'm removing that. I'm washing you. I'm putting new garments on you. You're righteous in my sight. We're good. We have a good relationship again. It's covered. But don't let 2017 be a repeat of 2016. Don't head into this new year with those same mindsets and attitudes and conditions of the heart.

it's time for repentance and to throw off those ways that are not of the Lord and to begin to walk in the ways of the Lord so that you can experience the promises of God this year. So that heading into this new year, you can experience the fullness of all that God has for you. And it's not just you, because again, God gives another chance to serve.

If you don't walk in the ways of the Lord this coming year, it's not just you that miss out on these promises of God. This affects your family. It affects the people that God has entrusted to you. It affects living water. It affects your neighborhood. It affects, it affects the people around you. In John chapter 17, as Jesus is checking in with the father, you know, right before he's heading to the cross, he's in that final prayer and,

He says, I sanctify myself for their sakes. Sanctify, right? That's to be set apart. Holiness to the Lord on the turban, right? That cleansing, that washing that Joshua experienced. God says, now walk in that and then you shall judge my house. You have the position of high priest, Joshua. You have an important role in the work that I'm going to do with this people. Now walk in my ways, Joshua.

And you'll continue to be able to live out that role. And you'll be effective in that role. And you'll be able to impact the nation for the kingdom of God. And you'll still have charge over my courts. I'm giving you another chance, Joshua. Your garments were filthy. You kind of messed up. It was pretty bad. But I'm giving you another chance. Listen, for every one of us, not only have we messed up and sinned and strayed and

are not worthy of a relationship with God, much less serving God in any capacity. But we, like Joshua, have this opportunity to be cleansed and have this opportunity to go back into the work that God has called us to. And there's people in your lives that God says, I want you to be part of the work that I want to do in their life. But you need to sanctify yourself for their sakes. It's for your sake too. And that's important. But you need to also understand that

Jesus sanctified himself. He walked in the ways of the Lord for your sake, for my sake. It was for our benefit. And that's the truth. That's the reality. That our walk with God and our walking in his ways doesn't only affect us, but it also affects our ability to minister to others. It affects our ability to be part of God's work in their life. God calls you to walk in his ways.

He doesn't call you to perfection. I mean, he does call you to perfection, but he knows you're not going to be perfect. It's not that, oh, you're flawless. Okay, now you can get all the promises. No, even when you mess up, what God wants you to do is handle those sinful issues, those mess ups in the way that he's called you to, to come to him in repentance and confess, just

Well, like you did at the point number two, you know, in the filthy garments, come and acknowledge and confess and believe in Jesus Christ and receive his grace. And that's what God wants you to do, to walk in his ways. That is to not just allow sin to continue. Don't permit it. Don't put up with it.

Don't let 2017 be a repeat of all the things that you allowed in your life, knowing it's really not best for me. It's really not what God wants for me. It's really not what God has for me. But, oh, well, it is what it is. Walk in the ways of the Lord. That's what God's calling you to. As you head into this new season, this new year,

It's just a year. The days don't actually mean anything, but there's something in our minds that's, well, we recognize there's a change as we go from one year to the next year that there's an opportunity there. There's a fresh start. And it's a reality that God gives us that opportunity, another chance to serve. And you can still have the impact in your family that God has desired for you to have. And perhaps you've desired to have. You can still have an impact.

on the work of the kingdom of God and the way that God has designed and gifted you too. But again, there is the condition here, if you will walk in my ways. And so we need to kind of do some evaluation and maybe think about how did my garments get so filthy? I mean, I'm grateful for the cleansing and I'm grateful for clothing and righteousness, but what do I need to do to not keep going back there, to go forward in the ways of the Lord?

so that I can experience these promises and the fullness of everything that God has for me. God calls you to walk in his ways. Well, finishing it up in verses eight through 10, point number four, God's work in you is a sign of the greater work he wants to do. And this is so cool to me. Listen, when God's speaking to your heart, and if here in Zechariah chapter three, there's some stirring going on,

And the Lord's just kind of charging you up and saying, wow, look at the cleansing. Look at the clothing. Look at the way that God is working and the second chances. And God, you're so good to give me another opportunity. And you're feeling that. You're hearing that charge from God. Here's what you need to understand. God is incredibly efficient in his work, more than we'll ever know. When he's working in you and stirring things up in your heart and speaking to you,

That's just the tip of the iceberg. It's attached to much greater things that God wants to do. In verse eight, it says, God here begins to speak about Jesus. Now Jesus is going to come on the scene today.

It's about, I think, 500 years from after this. So there's some time going to pass. But my servant, the branch, it's a reference to the Messiah, the Savior, Jesus. I'm bringing him. You're part of this work, Joshua. This restoring of Israel back to Jerusalem.

The restoring of my people back to the land, the rebuilding of the temple. This is all part of my work of bringing forth the Savior into the world. Joshua, you got to be part of this cool thing. And he says, look, you and your companions are a wondrous sign. There's some significance here. There's a big plan that God has, a big work that he's going to do. And Joshua, you're part of it.

And notice he says very clearly in verse eight, hear, oh, Joshua, the high priest. Now God is speaking directly to Joshua. He charges him, hey, walk in my ways. And Joshua, pay attention. Here's why you should walk in my ways. These things that I'm stirring up in you, this is just a small part of my plan to bring in the savior of all humanity. And take a look at your companions around you and the work that I'm doing in you guys, right?

It's a small part. It's an indication. It's kind of like a deposit of the greater work that I am bringing together and going to accomplish. The rebuilding of the temple, the return to Israel, the call in Joshua's life to holiness and to ministry. All of these are indicators of the future Messiah. Verse nine, for behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua upon the stone are seven eyes.

Behold, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. Behold the stone, Joshua. He refers to the Messiah as the branch, and now he refers to the Messiah as the stone. Pay attention. Look, I'm going to do a work. Look at what I'm doing.

Look at the stone. Look at the branch that is coming. And really the end result of that in verse nine is, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. Now they had just spent 70 years in captivity for sin, but now sin is going to be removed in one day. This is pretty radical. This is a whole new, amazing, big plan of God. Of course, fulfilled by Jesus at the cross. And in one day, iniquity is removed. It's dealt with.

through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the receiving of the penalty for sin, the offer of forgiveness towards us. But you see, Joshua is part of that work of the Messiah coming. He was part of the reestablishing of Israel. He was part of the rebuilding of the temple. He was part of that whole plan of God, that work of God. He says, Joshua, you're part of this. I've laid this before you. I have you in an integral part of my plan and my work.

And the work that I'm doing in you and these things that I'm speaking to you, Joshua, it's just an indication of that bigger plan, that bigger work that is going on. In verse 10, he says, in that day, says the Lord of hosts, everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree. In that day, referencing not just the work of the Messiah in forgiving sin, but

but the future work of the Messiah. We've seen Jesus come the first time and that was fulfilled, but there's also the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishing of his kingdom where there will be peace and prosperity. The idea of everybody being under their vine and under their fig tree are representations of these times of peace and prosperity that are promised. Joshua was part of the first coming of Jesus and

Joshua was part of the second coming of Jesus, the millennium and all of eternity. You see, God gave him this awesome part in the plan of God and in the work of God. And that is true of you also. God's work in you is a sign. It's an indication of the greater work that he wants to do. You're part of the work of the kingdom of God. You're part of the return of Jesus Christ. You're part of the return of Jesus Christ.

You're part of God's plan for eternity. Listen, God gives you another chance to serve. Even when you show up filthy and messed up, he says, look, you're still important to what I want to do. And you can know that. You can tell that by the work that God is doing in you. You see, if God was done with you, he wouldn't bother speaking to you, stirring up things in your heart, encouraging you. He wouldn't bother. He's efficient.

But when God is working, he's not just doing one thing. He's not limited to, well, I only have these two hands, so I can only do, you know, what I could do with these two hands. God's able to speak to every one of us individually, radically different things through the same message, through the same passage. We're all experiencing different things with the Lord as we are working through and thinking through and praying through all these things. God's working in all of these different hearts and all of our minds and what he's doing to

And what he's doing in us, it's just a small piece of all that he's doing, but it's an important part of what he's doing. And it's a sign. You're part of the greater plan of God. You're part of the work of the kingdom of God. You're part of his eternal plan. You have a part in the eternity of the lives of the people around you. Just like Joshua had a part. And we have a part in the

It's a great opportunity. It's amazing that God would ever consider us or allow us to have the privilege of being part of the work of the kingdom of God in that way. But he does. We're filthy. And the enemy brings the accusations and they're all true. He doesn't even have to lie about it. But God rebukes the opposing enemy and he forgives and he clothes us with righteousness. And then he calls us to walk in his ways.

And he says, look, all this that I'm doing in you and this cleansing that you're experiencing and this call that you're feeling, it's just a little piece. I've got so much more in store for you. Again, there is the condition. If you walk in my ways, you want to experience the fullness of that plan of God. You want to experience the privilege and honor of being part of the work of the kingdom of God. Walk in his ways. And I would encourage you this evening to just let God lead.

highlight some things. And maybe he already has, and you already know. Yeah, there's some things that need to change. There's some filthiness that needs to be laid aside, but don't put it off. We had opportunity, a few of us, to hook up with Pastor Quint. Pastor Quint and Yoli are in town, you know, visiting family and stuff for Christmas and heading home this coming week. But he was sharing about his assistant pastor, just out of the blue, heart attack.

Not expected. Nobody was, you know, thinking about it. Just got a call Saturday morning. He collapsed. That could be any one of us. None of us are guaranteed more than this breath that we have right now. But we have this opportunity. We have this chance to come to God, to receive his defense on our behalf and his cleansing and his clothing with the call to walk in his ways. And we can be a part of

Even though our life is short and it could be ended at a moment, but we get to be a part of eternity and of the work of the kingdom of God and the lives of the people around us. The people, as they were coming back to Israel, they didn't just need to physically rebuild the temple. But as you can see here with Joshua, there needed to be a rebuilding of their personal relationship with God. There needed to be a rebuilding of their walk with God, not just that physical structure, but

But God here is calling Joshua to rebuild the temple of your heart and walk with me, follow me and turn away from the things that are not of me. We all find ourselves caught up in sin, but the key is to respond when God calls us out of it, to respond as God speaks to our heart and to walk with him in the way that he's called us to. We're going to close our time together this evening with some worship. Kim's going to lead us in a song.

And as she does, I would encourage you to spend this time with the Lord. Know that God is with you. He rebukes the opposing enemy. He hasn't given up on you and he's going to fight for you. He's not willing to let Satan have his way. You're a brand plucked from the fire. He's chosen you. And so you can come before him for cleansing, for forgiveness, for being clothed in righteousness, knowing that God has given you the opportunity to be part of the big plan of God.

in the lives of the people around you and then on into eternity. But the condition, the call, the admonition is now walk in the ways of the Lord. And so let's take this time to connect with the Lord, to hear from the Lord. And maybe there's some things he wants you to lay aside. And so let him tell you about those things and let's lay them aside. Let's put them away. Let's cast off the works of the flesh, the things of darkness, the filthy garments, and put on the new nature that we have in Christ.

So let's spend this time with him as we worship together.