There is a profound connection between the preaching of the Gospel and the supernatural miracles of the Kingdom. As far as Paul was concerned, signs and wonders done in the power of the Holy Spirit is the authentic preaching of the gospel of Christ. Duncan Smith
Scripture
He replied,” It is a basket for measuring grain, and it is filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land.”
Observation
Zechariah sees a flying scroll which contains a curse that goes out over every part of the land. One side of the scroll says that everyone who steals will be banished from the land, while the other side says that everyone who swears falsely will be banished from the land. The house of every thief and every liar will be cursed by the Lord.
Next, Zechariah sees a basket that is used to measure grain, but it is filled with the sins of everyone in the land. The lid of the basket is removed to reveal a woman who is named Wickedness. Two women then fly towards the basket and take it to Babylon. There, a temple will be built for the basket, where it will be placed on a pedestal, presumably to be worshipped.
Application
Our nation is filled with every kind of evil – pornography, greed, theft, lies, violence, murder, and every kind of sexual immorality. The sins are in a measuring basket, which means that God can see them, weigh them, and judge them
In Zechariah’s vision, the basket of sins is sent to Babylon, where a temple is built to worship it. We are living in Babylon, where what God declares good is trashed but, every sin is elevated and worshipped .
The solution is not merely to condemn the sins of the world. Nor is it to hide in our holy huddle, isolated from the world and waiting for Jesus to take us home .
The solution is for the church to preach the gospel widely and fearlessly. As people turn away from their sin, its ability to captivate the nation is reduced.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I pray for my friends who do not know you. Bring them to the place of repentance and salvation. Amen
In that moment, I began for the first time to see that the Cross of Christ is not just an event through which we gain salvation; it is an invitation to walk in the way of Christ. The Kingdom message is the way of the Cross, as well as the event of the Cross. Duncan Smith
Warm and humid again this morning, but still loving the bike ride
We can all be gloriously immersed in an ever-increasing measure of His Spirit on us. We just have to ask for more. Duncan Smith
Scripture
“It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit”, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Observation
The Lord brings another vision to Zechariah. He sees a lamp-stand with seven lamps, each with seven wicks. Olive trees stand on either side of the lamp.
The Lord says to Zechariah it is not might nor power but the Spirit of the Lord that will remove the mountain.
Just as Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the temple, he will be the one to complete it. They must not despise the small beginnings because the Lord rejoices in what he is doing.
Application
The way forward in our life is not by human strength nor by wisdom, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will remove the greatest mountain, if only we will submit ourselves to Him.
The problem is that often we see a problem and we think we have to fix it. We assume that whatever is in our way, we can overcome it by our own efforts.
Nearly every problem in life has a spiritual root– whether it is outright demonic attacks or generational curses we have done nothing to deserve.
We need the Holy Spirit in order to flourish in life and in our walk with the Lord.
If we can gain the victory in the spirit realm, we will find every battle becomes easier to win.
God has given us every good weapon for the warfare, but it is up to us to use them, depending on Him and His strength.
Prayer
It is not by might nor strength but by your Spirit alone that my mountains are removed. Help me, Lord, to remember this in the midst of the battle. Amen
This article from American Vision is about the U.S. but applies equally to Australia
The battle today is over lordship. The issue of politics today is the issue of sovereignty. Who is the Lord of all of life to whom man must give his total allegiance, Christ or Caesar? The answer to this question is the difference between liberty and slavery, justice and tyranny.
The critical issue of our day is the relationship of Jesus Christ and His Word to our political and legal system in the United States. Who has jurisdiction over every aspect of American society, Jesus Christ or the State? Is this to be a nation founded on the precepts of the Bible or one founded on the shifting sands of humanism? The only faithful answer that a Bible believing Christian can give is this: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). Benjamin Franklin, addressing the Constitutional Convention, quoted Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain who build it.”
The Christian’s study of God’s Word must bring with it the desire and the ability to make application where Scripture makes application. If Scripture speaks to civil government then civil government must be called upon to acknowledge the Lord of Scripture and be reconstructed according to His demands. A. A. Hodge’s words are to the point and just as applicable today as they were a century ago:
If Christ is really king, exercising original and immediate jurisdiction over the State as really as he does over the church, it follows necessarily that the general denial or neglect of his rightful lordship, any prevalent refusal to obey that Bible which is the open law-book of his kingdom, must be followed by political and social as well as moral and religious ruin. If professing Christians are unfaithful to the authority of their Lord in their capacity as citizens of the State, they cannot expect to be blessed by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in their capacity as members of the church. The kingdom of Christ is one, and cannot be divided in life or in death. If the Church languishes, the State cannot be in health; and if the State rebels against its Lord and King, the Church cannot enjoy his favour. If the Holy Ghost is withdrawn from the Church, he is not present in the State; and if he, the only “Lord, the Giver of life” be absent, then all order is impossible, and the elements of society lapse backward to primeval night and chaos . . . I charge you, citizens of the United States, afloat on your wide sea of politics, there is another king, one Jesus: the safety of the State can be secured only in the way of humble and whole-souled loyalty his person and obedience to His Law.” [1]
The political choice before us is Christ or chaos. Is Jesus “the King of kings and Lord of lords”? That is the question before American Christians. The issue is anything but peripheral.
Warming up here – it was 26 degrees by 8 am. Still, a nice morning to be out on the bike.
Praise issues from the soul, and begins as an act of your will. It is not the product of emotion, although your emotions are bound to be involved. Praise is your deliberate choice. Terry Law
Scripture
And the Lord said to satan, ” I, the Lord, reject your accusation, satan.”
Observation
Zechariah has a vision of Jeshua the high priest. Satan, the accuser, makes accusations against Jeshua, but the Lord reject them.
Jeshua’s clothing is filthy, but the angels take these clothes off him, and give him clean clothes. The angel says,” I have taken away your sins.”
The angel of the Lord tells Jeshua that if he stays faithful to the Lord, he will have great authority in the temple. Jeshua is a symbol of the coming Messiah.
Application
This is a lovely picture of the ways of the Lord in bringing us to salvation.
The devil is constantly making accusations against us. The Lord is constantly rejecting those accusations.
When we come to Christ, He takes away our filthy clothes, which represent our sinful nature. Instead He clothes us in the righteousness of Christ. Now, no accusation that is made against us can stand.
Now that satan is unable to bring accusations against us to the Lord, he brings accusations to us. He whispers lies that say we are not good enough, that we won’t be forgiven this time, or that we have committed the unforgivable sin.
We must reject these accusations and declare that in Christ we are clothed with righteousness. When it comes to accusation, we need to listen to the Lord’s judgement, not the claims of satan.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for the assurance of forgiveness. I am clothed in Christ, and satan’s accusations are false. Amen
