SIN LESS
Part 9
October 19, 2014
MFBlume
Zechariah 4:6
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the
word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power,
but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Exodus 25:31-34 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of
beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches,
his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
(32) And six branches shall come out of the sides of it;
three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three
branches of the candlestick out of the other side:
(33) Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a
flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other
branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out
of the candlestick. 34 And in the candlestick shall be four
bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
The candlestick was shaped like an almond tree with branches.
- Knops/buds, flowers and bowls/almonds.
- These represent the three stages of growth in a tree.
- But we see them simultaneously on this figure of a
candlestick.
- That cannot happen in nature.
- Nature cannot manifest a bud, flower and fruit at the same
time on a branch.
The same picture is seen in one other place in the Old Testament.
- When Levi was chosen by God to be the priestly tribe, God
proved it by causing Levi's rod that was laid before the ark in the
Tabernacle with the eleven other tribes' rods to produce
buds, flowers and fruit at the same time.
- Moses could not even have faked it by putting in a thriving
branch during the night, for nature cannot produce that picture.
- The candlesticks were shaped the same way.
Zechariah 4:1-2 And the angel that talked with me came again,
and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
(2) And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have
looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top
of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps,
which are upon the top thereof:
Picture the vision he saw.
- A large bowl is over the top of the candlesticks with seven
branches.
- Seven pipes from the bowl fed the candlesticks.
Zechariah 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right
side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Now we see two olive trees -- each one on either side of the
candlesticks.
Zechariah 4:4-6 So I answered and spake to the angel that
talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
(5) Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto
me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
(6) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the
word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power,
but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
This vision represented the word God wanted to give Zerubbabel.
Zechariah 4:7-10 Who art thou, O great mountain? before
Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the
headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto
it. (8) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying, (9) The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the
foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou
shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
(10) For who hath despised the day of small things? for they
shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with
those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro
through the whole earth.
A word or prophecy Zechariah is to give to Zerubbabel.
- Zerubbabel was the governor ruling after Israel was
released from 70 years of bondage in Babylon.
- Daniel was written during that captivity as well as
Ezekiel's book.
- After Daniel was completed, and after Israel was released
from Babylon they set out to rebuild the temple.
- Ezra, Zechariah and Nehemiah's books were written and their
accounts took place at this time.
- Zechariah spoke of Joshua the high priest in Zech 3, and
Zerubbabel the governor in chapter 4.
- These two men spearheaded the temple project in Jerusalem.
- They were very small in number.
- For this reason, they received mockery and belittlement.
Zech 4: (10) For who hath despised the day of small things?
for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of
Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run
to and fro through the whole earth.
The Babylonians destroyed Solomon's temple.
- God says while people despise small efforts, His eyes
rejoice to see such things.
- God rejoices because He longs to see people depend upon Him
for tasks they cannot deal with themselves.
- Israel wanted to enter Canaan and saw giants and walls
bigger than themselves.
- The spies struck fear in the hearts of the rest of Israel
except for Joshua and Caleb who said the greater barriers were not
greater than God.
- God was with them, so the elements bigger than Israel could
be overcome.
- God rejoiced to see Joshua and Caleb, too!
- It shows these people have faith.
- They trust in God.
- When God is with us, the obstacles that are bigger than us
can be dealt with, especially if God's will is for us to pass through
these obstacles!
Jesus is shown as a Lamb in Revelation 5 with seven eyes which are the
eyes of the Lord mentioned in Zechariah 4:10.
- He was a LAMB that was slain!
- He faced the obstacle of death!
- But this weak instrumentality, so much smaller and weaker
than death, was what GOD rejoiced to see since it was faith toward
God, Who is bigger than death, to bring victory against this obstacle
of obstacles!
God wanted Israel to take the promised land knowing there would be
walls and giants.
- God knows what we have to deal with when He tells us to
walk through a pathway with obstacles larger than us.
In my Book SIN LESS, I teach about Romans and how it begins by saying
we could not save ourselves from sin.
- Sin is bigger than us.
- On our own we cannot overcome sin.
- So, we called on God to save us, and knew our
works could not cut it.
- Unbeknownst to many, many believers -- we get saved by
faith knowing we cannot save ourselves, but we don't apply that after
we're saved to obstacles in life that are larger than us.
- If God could save us in the beginning from sin and we
believed Him to do that, there is a problem when we cannot believe God
to deliver us from other issues in life that are larger than ourselves
later in our walks.
- Christians don't call on God to deliver them in other
situations after they are saved as they did in order to get saved.
- Financial problems and sicknesses.
- God proved He could save us when we couldn't, so He can
deliver us from any other issues.
They trusted God a year before their confrontation with the walls and
giants in Canaan, when God delivered them from Egypt.
- But like believers today, they could not apply that same
faith to deliverance from the giants and walls.
In fact, God did very similar things in bringing them into Canaan 40
years later when they actually entered.
- He divided the Jordan River as He divided the Red Sea.
- Supernaturally God brought down the walls of Jericho, the
very things they were afraid of 39 years previous!
- They did not take the walls down -- God did.
- God would have done that 39 years earlier.
Joshua and Zerubbabel were rebuilding the temple and it was a project
bigger than themselves.
- So Zechariah had to give them these words of faith.
- They went forward into their struggles with faith that God
would be with them as we need to enter our struggles knowing God is
with us.
- Zerubbabel's word from God was pictured in the vision of the
candlesticks.
Recall that the candlesticks were shaped like an almond tree.
- If we're the type of Christian who cannot believe God to
get us through situations larger than ourselves, you could say we're
almond trees who live by almond sap.
- Let me explain.
- The candlestick was shaped like an almond tree.
- But there were two olive trees on either side of the
"almond tree".
- And the reason there was a bowl over the candlesticks with
seven pipes was for the OLIVE OIL from the OLIVE TREES to feed each of
the candlesticks through a pipe from the bowl filled with the Olive
Trees' oil.
- Olive Oil was used to fuel the candlesticks in the
Tabernacle.
- God told Zerubbabel to get the point by highlighting the
source of the olive oil that fueled the candlesticks as olive trees.
- Naturally, an almond tree lives by almond sap.
- But in order to burn on fire in God's tabernacle, what was
natural to the almond tree could not fuel that fire.
- It had to have what was unnatural to the almond tree fuel
it to burn for God's purposes.
- Why wasn't it shaped like an OLIVE TREE if olive oil would
fuel it?
- God shows He uses mankind who rely upon a life unnatural to
us to burn on fire for the Lord.
- As when we were saved and we required God's power to save
us from sin, any further daunting task can be dealt with by similar
reliance upon God to strengthen us.
Fleshly life inhibits the work of God in our lives.
- Olive oil is anointing oil.
- Olive oil will burn, not almond sap.
- We knew works could not save us, but we somehow thing works
will get us through the struggles we face later!
- God is telling us we can overcome obstacles because we're
born again!
- Flesh cannot be ignited by God's fire.
- When we face e struggles, we must be like Joshua and Caleb
and rely upon God in confidence to overcome the enemy!
The vision of Zechariah represented people depending on the power of
God to finish and successfully complete the temple.
John saw Jesus amidst the same sort of seven candlesticks.
Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest
in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars
are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are the seven churches.
These candlesticks represent the seven churches.
- They represent the people of God who rely upon his
overcoming strength.
- John also saw the two olive trees.
- Zechariah and John both saw the red, black and white
horses, as well!
- The candlesticks are the people of God -- the churches.
- The vision that had the message that it was not by might
nor strength but by God's Spirit could actually be rephrased to say,
It's not by almond sap that the almond tree will burn successfully, but
it's by the olive oil of God's Spirit!
- Jesus even said the Spirit "anointed" Him, telling us that
the OLIVE OIL of anointing was representative of God's Spirit, which
the word to Zerubbabel said was the power by which Zerubbabel would
succeed against the mountain of a task before him.
- Recall Zech 4 went on to speak about the mountain before
Zerubbabel that would become a plain.
- The daunting task before him in rebuilding the temple!
We need to stop relying upon fleshly power to determine whether we can
overcome or not, giving up when flesh cannot cut it.
- We need to determine what we can overcome on the basis of
knowing GOD IS WITH US!
- And that means we can overcome ANYTHING!
The mountain would be brought down with shouts of GRACE to it!
Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel
thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone
thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Grace is reception of power from God!
- It's his strength doing what we cannot do in ourselves!
- Hence, we were saved by grace, but we'll also overcome
anything else by the same grace!
- The same empowerment from God!
Although it looked like Zerubbabel started a task they could not
finish, since it was greater than themselves, God's word said his hand
laid the foundation and his hands will finish it!
Zechariah 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation
of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that
the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Small instrumentality means nothing!
Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things?
for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of
Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run
to and fro through the whole earth.
A plummet is a plumbline used in construction of the building.
- It is particularly used when the walls start going up after
the foundation was laid.
- In other words, to take a step of faith and continue after
the foundation is laid, when the task looked too big for the people due
to their small number of workers, God's eyes rejoiced to see Zerubbabel
proceed because it showed FAITH WITH WORKS!
The same eyes of the Lord are shown in the following:
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of
them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done
foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
In 2 Chronicles 14, King Asa tore down idols and did well for the Lord.
- But he was confronted with Ethiopian armies that greatly
outnumbered his own.
- But he trusted in God, and God caused him to win the battle!
- An enemy far bigger than him was defeated because he
trusted in God!
2Ch 14:11-12 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and
said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with
them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee,
and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God;
let not man prevail against thee. (12) So the LORD
smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians
fled.
Doing something IN THE NAME OF THE LORD is relying upon His power in
faith, that is greater than yourself.
But later, Asa saw Israel's army ready to attack and instead of calling
on God he called on heathen Syria.
- He called on God to defeat Ethiopia, but on a heathen
against Israel.
- A prophet came to him and rebuked him for not relying on
God.
- And then the reference to the eyes of the Lord are made.
- He told Asa God LOOKS FOR weak instrumentality that trusts
in His power to help!
- He looks for people to show Himself strong!
- Don't live by almond sap, but olive oil of God's help!
- It was like he live by almond sap and wanted more -- more
fleshly ability.
- NO!
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of
them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done
foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
Asa was stubborn.
- He became diseased in his feet and died, and did not trust
in God for healing!
2Ch 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his
reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great:
yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
While some Christians don't think healing occurs today, an
Old Covenant man could have been healed supernaturally.
Joshua and Zerubbabel were the two olive trees.
Zechariah 4:11-14 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are
these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon
the left side thereof? (12) And I answered again,
and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the
two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
(13) And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these
be? And I said, No, my lord. (14) Then said he,
These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole
earth.
Standing by God causes us to be anointed, and we feed the church with
oil and the real temple of the Church gets built!
- Zerubbabel and Joshua ministered to the people.
- Encouraging them God was with them, like Joshua and Caleb
in the Exodus.
- The oil feeding the candlesticks is ministry from people who
rely upon God to feed you.
- And the wise virgins had more oil than the foolish,
representing more ministry was given to them by anointed ones.
God's eyes scan like radar and look for people whose hearts are fully
tuned in faith to rely upon Him!
1Co 1:25-29 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than
men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(26) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are
called: (27) But God hath chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
(28) And base things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are: (29) That no flesh should
glory in his presence.
God is glorified when people are encouraged to know they can overcome
things greater than themselves by God's power and step out and do what
everyone knows only God could have been with them for them to have done
that.
When you face struggles bigger than you, and believe God will help
because you're his people, God's eyes rejoice!
Do you catch the attention of God's seven eyes?
He won't always stop the struggle you go through, though.
- He will in many instances, but not always.
- But what is bigger than yourself that you cannot take, he
will deliver you from them!
Rev 11:1-4 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod:
and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and
the altar, and them that worship therein. (2) But
the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not;
for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread
under foot forty and two months. (3) And I will
give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand
two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
(4) These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before the God of the earth.
THE TWO OLIVE TREES.
- Not any given two, BUT "THE" two.
- This is a reference to Zech's two olive trees!
- And notice they were involved in Revelation with the TEMPLE
BEING MEASURED as the two in Zechariah were involved with the temple
reconstruction.
- we even find the temple being measured in Zechariah.
Zechariah 2:1-2 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and
behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. (2)
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure
Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length
thereof.
Moses turned water to blood as Revelation 11 said the witnesses could
do.
- Elijah called fire from heaven to destroy enemies
as Revelation 11 said the witnesses could do.
- These two witnesses in Revelation are not Moses and Elijah,
nor actually Joshua and Zerubbabel, but are those who rely upon God for
daunting tasks that enemies cannot overcome!
People who trust in God like this feed oil into the church and ministry
spiritual strength and faith!
God brings us through anything so long as we trust in his greater power
and not our own human strength.
Imagine faith we will have when we pray in His name with all of this in
mind!
- We doubt too much.
- We're double-minded because we believe in some instances
and not in others.
- If you pray and HOPE it will happen, you have no faith.
- Pray and LOOK for it to happen!
Doing all in Jesus' name is doing all in reliance upon His power!
Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
We'll give God glory if we trust in HIS WORK AND POWER!!
We'll thank Him FOR HIS WORK!