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The Harvester Podcast is brought to you by the Florida School of Preaching. Listen weekly to take a dive into biblical topics and thoughtful studies on things that matter to our eternal souls.
Welcome to the Harvester podcast.
We are happy you have joined us today, season five, majoring in the minors, the minor
prophets that is.
And this is episode 12 where we will be discussing Zachariah and some great lessons we can
learn from it.
I am one of the hosts, Brian Kenyon, and with me are
Forest Antemesaris
Steven Ford.
and we are glad that you have chosen to listen to us today in this podcast in this podcast
is well this and one more episode left but been a very rich study and appreciate all of us
being able to study in this way and to learn more about these minor profits and so today's
a karat zekaria whose name means he whom jehovah remembers is both a prophets and a priest
much like ezekiel
uh...
we read of his priestly dissent in chapter one verse one in the eighth month of the second
year of derrius the word of the lord came to zechariah the son of barakaya the son of iddo
the prophet uh...
saying the lord has been very anger with your fathers etc will get it get into that in
just a moment but uh...
as a car as among the group of priests to return from babel and under the leadership of
the rubble ball in five thirty six bc and that's found in the am i a twelve four and also
in verse sixteen
uh...
internal evidence also suggest is a car i was a priest not only is he concerned with the
temple uh...
that the table be complete but he has also special appreciation uh...
for the work of the high priest in chapter three verses one to ten uh...
zack ryan knows that the priest is absolutely necessary if the remnant is to have a
meaningful relationship with the lord
Zechariah also, like Ezekiel, is concerned for the cleansing of the land, removing its
defilement.
He'll mention that in chapter 3 verse 9, chapter 5, 3, and verses 6 through 11 of chapter
5.
And so he is the same historical background as the same with Haggai, uh and their job was
to motivate the completion of the temple.
And in chapter 1 verse 1, it's the eighth month of the second year of Darius.
And when you compare that with Haggai 2.1 and Haggai 2.10, you'll see that they're
overlapping ministries here.
All right, the text does reveal that Zechariah is very familiar with the pre-exilic
prophets.
He alludes to Habakkuk 2.20 in chapter 2.13.
In chapter 3, verse 2, there's allusion there to Amos 4.11, or at least the message is
similar.
In Zechariah 3.10, there's allusion to Micah 4.4.
and other ones uh...
in there as well as a car i may be considered a sequel to had guys some commentators
mention that in which a car i looks beyond the immediate temple to the messianic house of
god in fact in the opinion of some scholars a car i is the most messianic book in the old
entire old testament including as they including others uh...
lot of messianic stuff in here
and if had i may be compared to the builder of the temple responsible for the solid
structure zacher i would be the artist responsible for the colorful windows and symbolism
glory and light and as we discussed these are kind of brief summaries these podcasts are
these books but zacher eyes a lot like the book of revelation in fact some of the
symbolism and revelation comes from zacher i a
we'll have time to get into all of those things which is very prolific very colorful book
if you will
Yeah, there's a lot here and it's almost whenever I read Zechariah, it's like are we sure
this is a minor prophet?
You know what I mean?
I feel like he's right on the edge there.
He could have been a major prophet, but there's a lot and especially like you mentioned
messianic um Messianic uh Prophecies and especially the book of Matthew seems like the
book of Matthew leans a lot on the book of Zechariah.
Yeah
Yes, and he prophesied, again, we mentioned he was contemporary with Haggai, and so
according to the book itself, Zechariah prophesied from 520-518 BC, chapter 1-1, if you go
down to verse 7, on the 24th day of the 11th month, uh in the second year of Darius, he
talks about that, and then in chapter 7, verse 1, he also gives a date reference, which
puts him right there, contemporary uh with Haggai.
Now the fourth year, King Darius, came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah
on the fourth month, uh fourth day of the ninth month, et cetera.
And so again, contemporary with that.
So in the background again of Zechariah is the rebuilding of that temple.
But again, Zechariah seems to focus more, not so much on the physical structure, but on
the Messianic temple, the Messianic kingdom that is to come.
And so I thought with this book here, since it's so
uh...
large uh...
well actually let me mention some more of the historical background course in this hangar
the temple built by solomon was destroyed along with jerusalem in five eighty six bc and
then upon the first return undesirable the the altar was reestablished and later the
foundation of the temple was laid in check it is rich after three one two thirteen the
rebuilding of the temple was brought to a halt though by art
our tax Xerxes because he believed a false report against the returning Jews.
that's recorded in Ezra 4, 1 through 24.
You remember Sam Ballot, Tobiah, and the boys were resisting the Jews coming back.
ah So the temple having remained in an incomplete state for 16 years, Haggai was called
upon by God to motivate the remnant to resume Reconstruction.
And so Zechariah entered the scene about two months after Haggai when enthusiasm was very
low.
And so the success of God's Word through Zechariah and Haggai is evident in that the
temple was complete in 516 BC, and that's found in Ezra 6 verses 14 and 15.
And so a great historical background and a great, as we discussed in the episode on
Haggai, it was a great, it crucial time in the
post-exilic return return returning remnant because here's make or break it either build
the temple and get on with the business of being god's people or who knows what would
happen
Yeah, it's interesting because you actually have, seems like you have less pushback during
Zechariah and Haggai than you do during Nehemiah and Ezra, right?
And it's like they were doing less work with less obstacles, which sometimes life is like
that, right?
And then it's like when you're actually in the fire of it now, all of a sudden you can be
productive.
But I okay, you don't, the enemies around you that we read about in Ezra and Nehemiah
aren't really there and they're just not really doing anything, you know?
that's a very good point there because in the environment here uh...
tool in one hand and spirit right and the final and in that the way it is in life to
sometimes uh
Ease and comfort can be dangerous poisons for the heart.
Yeah, that's pretty good.
Very good point.
Alright, so we'll read the first, just to get the context here, in chapter 1 verse 2,
after Zechariah is introduced, the Lord has been very angry with your fathers.
Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts, return to me, says the Lord of hosts,
and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.
Now that word return there is the idea of repent.
And so repentance was needed because they were slackin'.
they were slackers and repentance is needed for slacking.
then God will return to you, and again, in Haggai we talked about how God withheld things
from them to kind of teach them to try to wake them up to get on with the business of
building the temple.
He says, uh verse 4, �Do not be like your fathers to whom the former prophets preached,
saying, �Thus says the Lord of hosts, �Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.�
But they did not hear
nor heed me, says the Lord.
Your fathers, where are they?
And the prophets, do they live forever?
Yet surely my words and my statues, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they
not overtake your fathers?
So they returned and said, Just as the Lord of hosts has determined to do to us according
to our ways, and according to our deeds, so he has dealt with us." And so this is just the
result of what God had been
telling them through profit after profit prior to this time.
Seems like in the same way that God gives evidence that we can trust him for blessings, he
gives us evidence that we can trust him also in judgment.
He says, look at your fathers.
In other ways, you can look at the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, I was with him, blessed
him, and so on.
But look at your fathers and what they did in their unrighteousness and look at what
happened to them.
in both ways, God is giving evidence that we can have faith in him as our savior,
restorer, or as the one who will bring judgment and vengeance on us.
Yeah, I feel like if you're this generation you really like you don't go back to exile you
want to go back to captivity You know, okay.
What can we do to prevent that from happening?
Let's do that, right?
Let's get right.
Let's stop slacking.
Let's do what we need to do because We just got back 16 years ago and already God he says
he's angry right?
So we need to step up
It shows how quickly we forget though.
mean 16, that's not a long time.
You don't even have your driver's license now.
I you barely have it right?
They had forgotten what it was like to be in captivity.
That was a big deal.
I mean we're breaking new soil, building this temple again.
Why?
Oh we were in captivity and here you are already where God is like, look at you.
I'm just glad to have my own house, own garden, my own well, my own...
And I can see how that could have a charm to it though.
I mean, you've been gone for so long and now you're like, hey, we're finally back.
We wanna be restored.
We wanna do all this stuff.
But guys are like, no, no, no, it's my time first.
It's me first.
And it would be the same with the offerings.
Early on, they would have these heave offerings, wave offerings.
With this first harvest, it's like, I get first.
Then you can get.
Dibs.
Yeah, right.
Gotta call dibs, yeah.
Yeah, and so, but anyway, so thought I'd approach, we would approach the book, this, since
it's such a large book, a lot of good stuff in it, we'll just look at some lessons and
then go back and see how we see those within the book.
And so in the first place, I'd like to point out that Zachariah pictures the Messiah in a
number of significant ways.
It's a messianic book.
For example, in Zachariah 3 verse 8, here Joshua the high priest, you and your companions
who sit before you,
for they are a wondrous sign, for behold, I am bringing forth my servant, the branch." And
so we see that, servant, the branch, Isaiah talks about that, Jeremiah talks about that,
believe Micah talks about that, and so that's a messianic term, my servant, the branch.
And the branch goes back to the imagery of the vine, the tree, the root, this is the real
thing right here.
Zechariah 6.13 also says, yes,
He shall build the temple of the Lord, he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on
his throne.
So he shall be a priest on his throne, and the council of peace shall be between them
both." And so here he's talking about the Messiah and that remnant, and in the future the
Messianic kingdom.
And so these are Messianic prophecies here.
Both a king and a priest.
Yes.
I feel like it's pretty telling.
king and a priest, which would fit Jesus for sure, as of course some of the kings and
priests here.
Also, Zechariah 9, verse 9, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, your king is coming to you.
He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a
donkey.
verse ten i will cut off the chariot from the frame and the horse from jerusalem the
battle bo shall be cut off he shall speak peace to the nation's his dominion shall be from
sea to sea and from river to the ends of the earth and so this also is messianic we do
have matthew twenty one verse five does and that i think all the synoptics for sure maybe
even john does as well refers to jesus lowly riding on a donkey
as he is entering Jerusalem for that final week.
And so that is quoted explicitly.
And then in Zechariah 11, verse 12, then I said to them, if it is agreeable to you, give
me my wages, and if not, refrain.
For they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver, and the Lord said to me, throw
it to the potter.
That princely price they set on me.
so i took the thirty pieces of silver and through it into the house of the lord for the
potter and of course s repeated or alluded to quoted in matthew twenty six fifteen uh...
talking about jewett and judas's betrayal and so here's not it's messianic but it's what
was done to the messiah and uh...
this is spoken of way back uh...
before you know five hundred years or so before all this the amount he's is
the amount and even, you know, 30 pieces and then even Judas throws it into the temple
because the high priest won't take it back.
And then it goes to found fund the Potter's field.
Right.
So all of that you see just all like how specific it is.
Right.
And it's fulfillment.
completely fulfilled and documented for us.
And then also Zechariah 12 verse 10, and will pour on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication.
Then they will look on me whom they pierced.
Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for him as one
grieves for a firstborn.
And that of course is given in John 19, 34 and 37.
zecharats will goes on a verse eleven in that day there should be a great morning in
jerusalem like the morning at hey dad remnon in the plane of the ghetto in the land shall
more let me just mention here megiddo was a place for a lot of significant battles took
place and it becomes a perfect illustration a perfect picture uh...
for for example the book of revelation and other places in the old testament were talked
about great battles
in the land verse twelve shall mourn every family by itself the family of the house of
david by itself and their wives by themselves the family of the house of nathan by itself
and their wives by themselves the family house of levi and the wives etc and so there will
be great morning in the land and that's exactly what happened when jesus was crucified and
the events following that and so that's messianic as well
And then finally, Zechariah 13, 1, in that day, and again, as we mentioned in the last
episode, that day is usually referring to a future messianic kingdom, but in that day a
fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for
sin and for uncleanness.
And then verse 7, awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my
companion, says the Lord of hosts.
strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered then i will turn my hand against the
little ones and that also is repeated in the new testament as well strike the shepard and
sheep shall be scattered but the shepard here is a messianic prophecy about jesus who
would be a shepard so zachariah focuses a lot on the messiah jesus christ
sure and I don't think you mentioned chapter 13 verse 1 we don't have that quoted in the
New Testament yeah I mean just the idea you know fountain open for the house of David the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness what is that fountain if
it's not if it's not Jesus Christ
about revelation one five he is washed us in his blood you know we've raised us to life
again yeah a lot of symbolism in washing in fact baptism you know why terry is thou why
terry is thou be baptized wash away your sin calling upon the name of the lord so yeah
yeah there's a fountain in fact we sing that song there's a fountain free for you and me
That's right.
and it's awesome cleansing there and so yes definitely messianic alright a second lesson
one look at is you know just because we do external acts seem righteous does not mean that
we are right before god now in chapter seven i think it's a very good verse chapter seven
verses three through six
chapter seven the numbers one and the fourth year of king deris and don't know if it's
derised or derrius i don't know but anyway you know we're talking about it came to pass
that were the lord came to zachariah
on that fourth day the ninth month chislew when the people sent a shereezer with
Regimelech and his men to the house of God to pray before the Lord and asked priests Who
were in the house of the Lord of Hosts and the prophets saying?
Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?
Then the word of the Lord of Hosts came to me saying
Say to all the people of the land and to the priest, when you fasted and mourned in the
fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for me?
For me?
When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?
Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets
when Jerusalem and the cities around about it were inhabited and prosperous?
and the south and the lowland were inhabited so in other words are asking him a question
about should we fast and of course you know the old testament uh...
i know the day of atonement was one time that passing was commanded uh...
it's not commanded force in the new testament although is described but should i fast
should i weep and fast and then zackari asked the questions will
you why did you do it those in those seventy years did you really do it for me or was it
just show and there's a lot of people that would do things religiously for show but it's
not really for god and he charges and when you eat and when you drink do you not even
drink for yourselves which would kind of connected back to had guy about you know making
their sealed houses and all that but not serving god
I think it goes back to what we said when we talked about high guy is you have to consider
your ways, right?
Just because you're going through the motions and for us, you know Lord's Supper.
Why am I doing Lord's Supper?
Yeah, or even like something where we'd say, yeah, you got to do this singing acapella.
Why am I singing acapella?
Because I'm trying to make melody in my heart to the Lord, right?
I'm trying to praise him.
I'm trying to worship him.
It's not just, oh, well, that's what the Church of Christ does.
You know, I sometimes I hear people say talk like that a little bit where I said, well,
this is how we do it in the Church of Christ.
I said, well, why though?
because that's what God wants, not because that's just the way we do it.
Yeah.
there's no such thing as Church of Christ doctrine.
That's just what the Bible says.
um
as Brian was alluding to earlier or just stated, what we do is as important as why we do
it.
Even our giving, or as you mentioned, taking the Lord's Supper, our singing, our service
to God, if I do it begrudgingly, I can't expect for God to accept that.
Or if I do it in hypocrisy, I can't expect for God to take it, or accept it, I would say.
So why we do a thing is as important as how we do the thing.
And I think of the three items Jesus listed on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6, 1-18
about giving alms, praying and fasting.
You know, they were doing it to be seen of men.
We don't want to do it to be seen of men, but because we're serving God.
All right, a third lesson I have here is that we need to encourage our neighbors to seek
the Lord.
And if you look in chapter 8, chapter 8, verse 20 and 23,
Thus says the Lord of Hosts, People shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities.
The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us continue to go to pray
before the Lord, and seek the Lord of Hosts.
I myself will go also.
Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem, and
to pray before the Lord of Hosts.
Thus says the Lord of Hosts,
in those days ten men from every language of the nation shall grasp the sleeve of a jewish
man saying let us go with you for we have heard that god is with you wow that's pretty
powerful that preach right there uh but anyway so the so and of course this is couched in
messianic terms because you have many peoples and nations not just jews
But they will come and want to be with the Jew because, as he says at the end of verse 23,
let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you.
And so this is picturing a universal offer of blessing and fellowship and so forth.
But it's praying here.
Let us go pray to the Lord of hosts.
And so here, way back in the Old Testament is a good...
uh...
example of encouraging evangelism i would say encouraging our neighbors to seek the lord
because you know people are lost and must be brought in contact with the gospel romans one
sixteen the power of god to save but if we do not courage them to seek the lord who's
gonna do that
Sure, I think part of that to kind of the other side of that same coin is can people tell
that God is with us Based on how we live right, you know, okay They were coming and
clinging to you like oh let us come with you because we can tell that God is with you It's
like, okay, man, do people see that do they see the fruit of the Spirit?
Do we shine that light, you know?
that's be one of my points in my sermon.
Yeah, how would they know that God is with them if they're not observing it?
Right.
That reminds me of what Jesus said, that you're the light of the world.
It should be evident by the way you live that you are a child of God.
And it should.
No, not it should.
It does.
draw people to God when you're living a good and faithful Christian life.
It won't be the fact that everybody is crawling on the floor to you and that sort of
thing, but you will find it to be the case that if you are doing your best to live
faithfully for God in all aspects of life, there will be people on your job, in your home,
in your family, in your community that may come to you and say, hey man, something's going
on, can you pray for me?
What does the Bible say about XYZ?
I know you know what the Bible says.
They'll know that there's something unique about you.
And that should always be the case.
God's people draw people to Him.
uh
10 men from every language of nations.
So it's talking about Gentiles coming in by the droves, basically.
So that's a pretty awesome point.
Next point I have here, uh chapter 11, verse 17, we must be good stewards of the
responsibilities God has given us.
in uh chapter 11, verse 17, uh woe to the worthless shepherds.
And of course Ezekiel gives a lot of instruction.
similar to this as well, but woe to the worthless shepherds who leaves the flock.
A sword shall be against his arm and against his right eye.
His arm shall completely wither and his right eye shall be totally blinded.
But notice he calls them worthless shepherds.
And of course if you go back up, you know, the whole context, he talks about shepherds and
of shepherds were a big deal in Israel.
not only just literal shepherds, they were all over the landscape as they were in New
Testament times, but shepherds are often given as leaders, leaders of the people just as
they are in New Testament.
You the elders are the shepherds.
And so, you know, Matthew 25 verses 14 through 30 talks about those talents that we are to
use what God has given us, and if God has put us in leadership positions, we must make
good use of those positions.
and fulfill his will.
And verse 16 kind of gives you insight.
What is a worthless shepherd?
It says, does not care for those who are cut off, doesn't seek the young, doesn't heal
those that are broken, doesn't feed those in the stand, eats the flesh of the fat and tear
their hooves in pieces.
So the idea, like instead of sacrificing for the sheep, they are sacrificing the sheep for
themselves.
You know, when one goes astray, they're indifferent, they don't care.
Those who need extra help, they're not getting extra help.
Just this idea that it's hard.
like, I'm not going to sit here and say,
you know, being an elder of the Lord's church isn't a hard job and the most, I mean, the
most important job I would say in the world, right?
But like you said, if, if you
Like if you're gonna not really do it, it's probably better just to step down.
Right, you're gonna be held accountable for that.
Yeah.
It's important job.
That's why you should first desire that work and all of its fullness.
I think sometimes we just think of, and especially in our current Western culture, we look
at it as a...
um
a role of prestige.
oh I've been elevated, promoted up to an elder and so there's just prestige up there.
I get to kind of manage people and point people where to go and what to do.
And it's like, no man, the Holy Spirit has made you an overseer of souls.
Not watching where the money goes and we've got red carpet versus blue carpet and all that
kind of nonsense.
It's like, no, I have to make sure
It's a hard job, man.
And yeah, you're up late at night, you're up early in morning, you're talking to people,
crying to people, teaching people, helping people to get to heaven.
It's a big deal.
uh
I'm thinking when Stephen just talked about that prestige and all that, uh even before I
became an elder, was like, people, became a dean, congratulations, congratulations.
You know, it's like, congratulations, this ain't no job promotion.
This is a service in the law.
thinking, man, people will act as if it's a prestige or position or something like that.
And it's a leadership position and it's, you know, it's...
building yet heavy have the town if you have the ability to do it but if you know cuz he
called them worthless shepherds and so unless shepard is not doing what he's supposed to
do right and then he says he'll be cut off yeah so it's a coming in some really cut off so
that's as serious business uh...
not fulfilling the role of the shepard
And I think, you we've got a lot of preacher training schools and stuff, but I always
wonder like what's the pipeline to to get people to be elders?
You know what I mean?
Because I feel like sometimes we we don't emphasize that maybe as much as we should.
I know like I know a lot of young men who want to be preachers.
I never heard a young man say he wants to be an elder.
I'm not saying they're not out there.
I'm just saying I've never heard it, you know, and how do we kind of shape that and change
that so that it's something that people do aspire to?
I'm just thinking out loud.
We're on a podcast, you know.
No, yeah, I thought about that thing before and I've got some ideas we can talk about off
line here, but there should be a sense in which that is talked about.
I think people look at the preacher job, he gets to talk and it's a job associated with
it, there's some financial support, but the elder, well, he gets to tell everybody what to
do and all that kind of stuff, like no, that's the.
where the rubber really meets the road.
The evangelist's work is important work, no doubt about that, but the thing that keeps the
congregation healthy spiritually is the effective use of what is being preached.
And that's where the elders, the shepherds come in.
They can instruct the congregation, okay, you heard what the book says from the preach
sermon.
Here's how you take that, apply that, live that out for you and your life.
And we're gonna hold you accountable, yeah, so we're gonna be checking on you too.
yeah.
Yep.
And the next lesson I have is that the eyes of the Lord, that expression is found
throughout uh Zechariah, but the eyes of the Lord are not deceived and they assure that
his intervention or his lack of intervention will accomplish his goal.
In chapter 3 verse 9, 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.
and that seven eyes there we find that in the book of revelation as well but that seven
eyes is the idea of all knowingness he sees everywhere his vision is complete his
knowledge is complete cannot hide anything from god chapter four verse ten for who has
despised the day of small things for these seven rejoice to see the plumb line in the land
of the rubble ball hand of the rubble ball they are the eyes of the lord which scan to and
fro to and fro
throughout the whole earth.
You know, the small things, the accomplishment of rebuilding the temple is a great thing
in God's eyes.
But notice His eyes are everywhere.
They scan to and fro throughout the whole world, and so nothing can be hidden from Him.
And then in chapter 9 and verse 8, chapter 9 and verse 8,
Zechariah, I will camp around my house because of the army, because of him who passes by
and him who returns.
No more shall an oppressor pass through them, for now I have seen with my eyes." And so
again, he knows what's going on.
He knows.
is omniscient, and we cannot hide from him.
And then finally in chapter 12 and verse four, chapter 12 verse four.
In that day says the Lord, I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with
madness.
I will open mine eyes on every house of Judah and will strike every horse of the people
with blindness." And here he's talking about punishing them, but again, I will open my
eyes.
Again, he sees all, he knows all, and there's no way we can trick him.
There's no way we can fake him out.
The Hebrews writer would say, Hebrews 4.13, that all things are as it were naked before
him.
he sees us and first peter three twelve he knows are thought he knows our prayers he knows
the righteous and so we cannot hide from god we cannot think we can sneak some stuff past
him
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I was thinking about that in the book of Revelation chapter five verse six that
there's a lamb right there in the midst of the throne of God that says has seven horns and
seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth and it's kind of
I think it's kind of the same meaning where it's like he sees everything he knows
everything there's no I mean there's no hiding place yeah and God you can't pull one over
on him you can't you know and that's good or bad right so
If we're struggling for Him, faithfully, God sees the struggle.
God's going to reward us.
But if we are living wickedly, God sees that will hold us in judgment.
Yeah, that's part of what makes him the one worthy to open up the books.
He sees everything.
He knows everything.
It would be unfair to have somebody there like you or I who has very, very limited
knowledge of what other people are doing and why and all that kind of stuff.
A guy sees not just what is done, but why.
We only got two eyes.
Yeah.
We're barely new to those.
he's got seven but it's a credit in the beginning chapters one and two but those horsemen
going out you know that's another way that's another way in the book about zackariah that
he is showing omniscience because he's as it were messengers bring back news from
everywhere
all the resources to know everything that needs to be known.
Yes.
And then the finalist we want look at today from Zachariah is, and we've said this a lot
with the minor prophets, but there is no such thing as a quote, sacred life, end quote,
and a secular life, end quote, to the Christian.
In other words, every aspect of our life, we talked about this in the Haggai episode, we
can't compartmentalize, okay, here's my Jesus life, here's my worldly life, no.
There's, you every aspect of our life should be characterized by holiness from God.
And notice Zechariah 14, 20, and 21.
In that day, holiness to the Lord shall be engraved on the bells of the horses.
The pots of the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judea shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts.
everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them to cook in them in that day there shall
no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts because everybody's gonna be
there.
mean they're obedient, messianic kingdom, promise here.
But you know, I heard, well I was never really involved in any of that but you know have
the clergy versus the laity.
Well there's no such thing in scripture that everybody's, you know if you're a child of
God, you're a child of God.
and so there's no such thing as you know you have a different standard cuz you're late at
the and the clergy has another stand no were all to be holy
I actually just wrote on that, the article's not published, will be published until next
week, but I wrote on that, the idea, and I've said it before too, but sometimes we'll talk
about secular work, or oh, he does secular work now, or he's got a secular job now, and I
was like, wow, really?
The New Testament says when we work, we work as to the Lord, not to man, right?
So I know what we mean by that, but are we indicating, oh, he's been demoted, he's no
longer a minister or a preacher, now he does secular work, and it's like, wow.
He can still serve Jesus.
You're still living sacrifice, right?
It's like no matter who signs your paycheck, you're still living sacrifice.
You're still part of the holy priesthood.
You're still doing all those things.
So I think sometimes in our minds it's like, well, you've got the paid Christian who's the
preacher and he's gonna do all the Christian stuff 24-7 and we can kind of like toggle it
on and off, but that's not the way it's supposed to work.
I think that's a culture thing, perhaps.
But I even noticed that when I was in uh preaching school, there would be guys who would
graduate from preaching school and they somewhat not go on to preach full-time and they
were almost looked down upon.
you're not going to preach full-time.
Well, that's a bad, well, why?
If I can be a good father, if I can be a good husband, if I can be a faithful member of
the Lord's Church,
teach a Bible class here or there, evangelize like everybody else is supposed to.
Why is that to be looked down upon?
think we just respect, unwisely so, we just respect a hierarchy.
We just love for there to be a hierarchy.
That's something that we just have become accustomed to in our world where you've got to
climb the ladder, you gotta keep moving up, and then I guess we esteem, I don't know what
we would esteem the highest, but we put stuff up there, I guess it'd be maybe
different for each person.
There's always this idea of there things that are better or worse.
So even, you know, we'll look at moms.
Do you work outside the home or are you just a house?
What do you mean just a wife at home?
If you're a faithful Christian, then no matter how you demonstrate it as an employee, as a
stay at home person or whatever, like we talked about, I think in our episode with Haggai,
God and Christ should permeate every aspect of life.
If I'm a garbage man,
I do it with pride, I do it with love, do it with compassion, I do it with seeking out
souls.
In the same way that I would do so if I were a preacher, elder, you baker.
Right and I think that the idea of something being secular really is a myth, right?
Jesus said all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth What like so what
what is outside of his jurisdiction?
You know what I mean?
Like it's not like you go clocking at work and all of a sudden you're not a Christian
anymore, you know, like you're so And I wish you know talk about preaching school, I mean,
obviously we want men to go out and preach full-time but
I wish there was one employee at every Best Buy, every, every, uh, Sunoco, every who had
the Bible knowledge to go in there and evangelize.
Like when you're a preacher, big trick of my day is office hours in here.
And like, yeah, I can't evangelize, but like if you're out in the break room with 10
people you're working with and you got that Bible knowledge, mean that you almost can
power.
Exactly.
your preachers, your church home, your employment, they're all tied up in the same place.
And so you don't have
I got one co-worker, she's already Christian.
know what I mean?
you know, so, yeah.
And I'd like to tell potential future students of FSOP that even if you don't preach,
nobody can take away that knowledge that you're sharing.
And you can use that in every aspect of your life.
It'll make you better person no matter what you do in life.
Absolutely.
And so, hopefully, the evangelism thing.
and I do tell young people that.
I started that about a year or so ago, trying to encourage those guys.
Like the teenage class, Kalen and Cameron, those guys, yeah.
anyway so that rise got a tremendous lot just great stuff in here is all the bible does
but we'll have to call it close for this episode on zack ariah we do appreciate your
listening and again we would appreciate some feedback you can contact us and to our
website or through email thank you for listening most be together next time
We might win a bright shining crown.
Praise His holy name.
Salvation has been brought down.
Glory, praise the Lord.
the Lord.
Salvation has been brought down.
heaven go and shout and shout and and the world around.
Go preach it and tell it today to people in sorrow.
Tell it today and tell it tomorrow.
Preach the word of God that we might win a shining crown.
Tell the laws of all the laws.
Salvation is...
Jesus uh
Sweet victory can be found.
His calling name.
Salvation has been brought down.
Glory, praise the Bless the Lord.
Salvation has been brought down.
From heaven go and shout and and and tell the world around.
Go preach it and tell it today to people in sorrow.
Tell it today and tell it tomorrow.
Preach the word of God that we might win a shining crown.
Tell the laws, the law, salvation is
There's a blessed home prepared way over in Gloryland, in bright Gloryland.
Blessed glory land I have trusted in his love and now I am heaven-bound Praise his holy
name Salvation has been brought down, oh glory Praise the Lord Bless the Lord Salvation
has been brought down from heaven Go and and and shout and tell the world around Go preach
and then tell it today to people in sorrow Tell it today and tell it tomorrow Preach the
word of God that we might win a shiny
Tell the laws of all salvation is full and free to sinners, friends, and the blessing is
all over the land and sea.
Go teach it and tell it afar in every nation.
Tell it afar all over creation.
Praise the Lord, bless the Lord, salvation has been brought down.