Flight ZMA01 - Part B

Don't say, we don't have enough money, we don't have enough resources.

Just get it done. God will give you what you need. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord. If you ever worry that you don't have what it takes to accomplish God's purposes with you, you're right.

But as Skip shares today on Connect with Skip Hiting, God will always provide what you need to do His will. But first, here's a resource that'll help you know the path to freedom in life. Freedom.

It's a powerful word with several layers of meaning. Benjamin Franklin said, the birth of America meant liberty if we can keep it. But the freedom Jesus gives from sin is permanent if we receive it. There's a level of freedom that is better than political freedom, better than social freedom, better than any kind of freedom. And that's a spiritual liberation, a freedom from sin. One day, Jesus stood up in Nazareth and clearly declared liberty for those in bondage. Are you enjoying the full rights of your freedom?

Do you know someone still suffering from addiction? You will want to order our freedom package, which includes 10 full length messages by Skip about your path to freedom with titles such as Can God Be Known? and Extreme Makeover Soul Edition, as well as his Life Change Next Steps booklet. The freedom package is our thanks for your gift of $50 or more to support the broadcast ministry of Connect with Skip Heitzig. So request your freedom package today when you give online securely at connectwithskip.com slash offer, or call 800-922-1888. And the next extension of this ministry is coming right to your backpack, purse or pocket. It's text messaging, and we're all set to give you more content and opportunities to connect to God and his word on the go.

To join, just text the word connect to 74759. It's that simple, and we'd love for you to join in. Now, let's turn to Zechariah as we join Skip for today's lesson. So verse one, I raised my eyes, and I looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.

So I said, where are you going? He said, to measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length. The vision goes on to basically explain that Jerusalem, however big it was at that time, would expand and grow. Interesting side note, 3,000 years ago, and you can still see the early settlements of Jerusalem, 3,000 years ago, the population of Jerusalem was about 2,000 people at its peak. And it covered, the whole city enclosed in walls covered only 10 to 12 acres. That was the city of Jerusalem, 10 to 12 acres enclosed by a wall, 2,000 people. That was Jerusalem. Today, the population of Jerusalem is not 2,000 people. It's 875,000 people, close to a million people in one city. The square mileage of the city of Jerusalem, far from 10 to 12 acres, is 49 square miles. It has expanded.

That measuring line has gone way out. There's gridlock in the holy city. Over in chapter three, we get vision number four. It's a vision of Joshua, not Joshua in the Old Testament after Moses, but Joshua the high priest who served alongside Zerubbabel. Remember Zerubbabel? We've already noted his name.

Zerubbabel was the civic leader like the mayor or the governor of the city. Joshua was the religious leader, the high priest, and this is a vision of the cleansing of the high priest, emblematic of the cleansing of the nation itself. Verse one, 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.

Now, we can relate to that, can't we? We who serve the Lord, we who follow Jesus, we have an adversary. That's what Satan means, an adversary, an enemy, who opposes everything you want to do or activate in serving the Lord.

He wants to oppose you. And this is interesting. Verse two, the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, Satan.

Now, that's interesting. He didn't say, I rebuke you, Satan, which he could. He can. He is the Lord who created the devil. He created Lucifer, who became the devil. But the Lord said, the Lord rebuke you. He used the third person. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you.

Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Speaking of Joshua, now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the angel. And he answered and spoke to those who stood before 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.

I see here something that I've always felt strongly about. When it comes to spiritual warfare, we should never deal directly with the devil. I've heard believers become very emboldened, and they'll be praying, and then they'll, in their prayer, sort of pivot from praying to God to talking to the devil, which I think it's just never good.

Why pray to him? And saying to him, Satan, I rebuke you, Jesus, I rebuke you. Satan, I rebuke you, in Jesus' name. Or Satan, we rebuke you. Even the Lord didn't use the first person. Even the Lord said, the Lord rebuke you.

So you say, well, why is that a model? Because we see it again in the New Testament book of Jude, verse 9, where we are told that even Michael the Archangel, when disputing with Satan over the body of Moses, dared not bring a reviling accusation against him. This is Michael the Archangel fighting another demonic archangel, the devil. And it said he didn't even bring a reviling accusation, but rather said the Lord rebuke you. So I don't even like to talk to the devil. I don't think it's good form for a Christian to have conversations with him. The Bible says resist the devil, not carry on a negotiation with the devil. Don't even talk to him. When the devil knocks at your door, ask Jesus Christ to answer it. You don't have to even engage him. And let's just say you don't have to worry about him. Oh, it's the devil.

So what's new? Oh, it's the devil. Sometime go study one of the great hymns of the church, written by Martin Luther called A Mighty Fortress is Our God. There's great lyrics in that hymn. And one of the stanzas goes something like, and though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we shall not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness, grim, we tremble not for him. One little word shall fail him. God will speak one word, and he'll be incarcerated, and he'll eventually be destroyed. The song goes on to say, his rage we can endure, for lo, his strength is sure, and his doom, Satan's doom, is sure.

So good to study the scripture and to study those who use the scripture to write their worship songs like that. Now that's the fourth vision. The fifth vision is in chapter four. It's a vision of a menorah. Do you know what a menorah is? A seven-branched candelabra that was in the tabernacle later on in the temple. It is a fire that burned before the altar of incense and the table of showbread.

It was representative of the presence of God among his people. But in chapter four, it's a vision of a menorah that I would best describe as an automated menorah. Before the days of modern technology, it's a seven-branched candlestick. Above it is a collecting bowl that had olive oil into it. Pipes went out from this bowl to the heads of the lamps to keep them lit. And on either side of the menorah and this receptacle were two olive trees. So the oil was olive oil. So the olive oil was being produced by the olive trees fed into the receptacle and by gravity taken to the lampstand. So, you know, usually the priests would have to fill it every day. This thing's automated.

Check this out. Verse one. Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me as a man who was wakened out of his sleep. Oh, by the way, all of these eight visions happened in one night. You think you have weird dreams after your pizza with onions at 11 o'clock at night? Eight of these crazy visions inspired by God, not pizza, not falafel, not hummus, not onions, but the Spirit of God in one night.

So he gets woken up and he said to me, what do you see? So I said, I'm looking and there's a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it. And on the stand, seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it.

One at the right of the bowl, the other at the left. So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me saying, what are these, my Lord? And the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, do you not know what these are? And I like it.

I love his honesty. I answered, no. So he answered me, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. You recognize that verse.

Very famous, very familiar to you, often quoted. Who are you, oh great mountain before Zerubbabel? You shall become a plain. He will bring forth the capstone with shouts of grace, grace to it. In other words, whatever obstacles you face in rebuilding this temple, it's going to happen. You tell Zerubbabel this vision, God's going to do it. It's not going to be by human strength. It's not going to be by human wealth, but by the power of the spirit, it'll get done.

Rely on that, Zerubbabel. Don't say we don't have enough money. We don't have enough resources. Just get it done. God will give you what you need.

Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. I love this, because that's how I explain the existence of this fellowship in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't come here with a demographic study of the area or being financed by a group with a vision and a plan and we're going to do this and do that.

I had no experience and I had no idea what I was doing. Those who know me say, and you still don't. And if that's so, I'd rather keep it just like that. It's a good arrangement, because I may not, but he does. And so, well, how do you explain the success of this church? Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. There are three more visions, which we will not look at.

All about the same theme. Jerusalem's going to be built. The obstacles are going to be removed. Chapters 9 through 14 take us to that messianic portion of the book, all the way to the millennial reign of Christ, the kingdom on earth, the first coming of Jesus, as well as, and most principally, the second coming of the Messiah. Keep in mind, these prophets did not see the gap that you and I know to be the church age.

Between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming has been an age of grace, 2,000 years of grace, where people from all over the world in different generations, different tongues, largely Gentiles, have come to believe in the God of Israel through the Messiah, the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Prophets didn't see that gap. They saw these prophecies as all sort of a screenshot. I often use the illustration, it's like looking at a mountain range from 40 miles away. It looks postcard flat. But as you get closer, you see that the peaks are separated by valleys. And if you go over it, like if you take the tram over our own mountain, which looks just like a big, flat mountain from this town, when you go on the tram, you see the different peaks and the little valleys between them. And so the prophets just saw the mountain range. They didn't see the distance between the events that happened.

Now, I have a good example. Take over to chapter 9. Chapter 9, verse 9, we have in two verses, two comings of Jesus. The first coming and the second coming, with a gap between the verses of now about 2,000 years.

So again, both comings seen sort of as one event. This is sort of like Isaiah 61. Remember that text? Jesus quoted that in the synagogue in Nazareth, in Luke chapter 4. And the text of Isaiah is, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, to open the prison doors to those who are captives, to proclaim the year of liberty, the acceptable year of our Lord. Then Jesus closed the book, right, and said, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

However, He closed the book and stopped the text in the middle of a verse. There's a comma in that verse of Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, as anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, prison doors to those who are captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the comma, and the day of vengeance of our God. That comma between the first and second phrase is a 2,000-year-long comma. I preached a whole message once on that comma. You say, well, I've heard you do a verse.

No, I just did the comma. So you have a verse that includes the first coming and the second coming, the tribulation and the second coming of Christ, but Jesus wisely and correctly closed the book before the verse ended, the day of vengeance of our God, because that would be the tribulation period. So He closed it and said, today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears. Now we're waiting for that rest to be fulfilled, so you see it here. Verse 9, chapter 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, riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Does that sound familiar? That prediction was fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus on April 6, 32 A.D., according to Sir Robert Anderson, who tabulated the dates. It was precisely 173,880 days after March 14, 445 B.C., when the Declaration was given to the Persian monarch to go back and rebuild Jerusalem. And Daniel said, from the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince will be 173,880 days, to the very day Jesus showed up from the eastern side of Jerusalem, from the Mount of Olives, walking with His men, His disciples. And He'd been there before on several feasts.

Normally they would walk all the way into the city, but something was different on this day. He asked for something He never asked for before. He said, go into the village next to you and get me a donkey. It's tied up.

There's a couple donkeys there, a mom and a colt. Bring them to me. Don't ask a quick... If somebody stops you and says, what are you doing? Just say, the Lord needs it. And they'll let them go.

So they were over there going, what are you doing? Let's try this. He said, try it. Lord needs it.

Okay, take it. So they took the donkey. Jesus sits on the donkey, comes into Jerusalem for the very first time. He allows Himself to be welcomed publicly as the Messiah.

And then He stops midway. And He begins looking at Jerusalem and weeping over it. And in Luke 19, He says something very significant. He said, if only you had known, especially you, in this your day, the things that make for your peace, but they are blinded, hidden from your eyes. Therefore, your enemies will surround you, cast an embankment around you. Your city will be leveled with your children in it. Now, one stone will be left upon another because you did not know the time that you were going through.

Now, another, because you did not know the time, the day of your visitation. He held them accountable to know when He was coming because He gave them the timetable. And the tip off, the clue should have been, He's riding a donkey.

Hello, Zechariah 9, 9. He's coming on a donkey. Kings rode donkeys in times of peace.

They rode steeds, horses, stallions in times of war. That's why when Jesus comes back, Revelation 19, He's not on a donkey anymore. He's on a horse to rule and reign, to conquer the world, to put an end to what has been going on. But here, as the prophecy predicted, He's riding a donkey.

Now, between verse 9 and 10, the period at the end of verse 9 is a 2,000-year period, the age of grace, the church age. Now, verse 10, we're into the second coming. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim. That's a euphemism for the nation of Israel.

It's one of the large tribes. And the horse from Jerusalem, the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river, that is the Euphrates, to the ends of the earth. This is Messiah's peaceful reign after His second coming. You may want to write in the margin Isaiah chapter 2, because in Isaiah chapter 2 and the book of Micah, I think chapter 4, they quote each other, and they will beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn to make war anymore. That's Messiah's reign from Jerusalem. And that is the same shade of meaning here in this verse. Chapter 10 speaks about the blessings of the future kingdom. Chapter 11, the rejection of the king.

In chapter 11, can we just do this very quickly? Verse 10, I took my staff beauty and I cut it in two that it might break the covenant which I had made with all the people. So it was broken on that day, verse 11 of chapter 11. Thus, the poor of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. And I said to them, if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages.

If not, refrain. So they weighed out from my wages, how much? 30 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 30 pieces of silver, threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.

Then I cut in two my other staff bonds that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. The prophet here, speaking of Jesus, paints the picture of Christ as a shepherd asking his flock, what am I worth to you? Expecting them to say, oh, you're worth everything to us, you have immeasurable worth. But they say, you are worth less than a slave gored by an ox.

Now let me explain that. Numbers chapter 21, 30 pieces of silver was the price you would pay for a slave gored by an ox. So that's very low. So basically you're saying, you are worth to us less than a slave. Your value to us is only 30 pieces of silver. Now, Matthew 27 goes on to say that this is the fulfillment. Judas Iscariot fulfills this prophecy because he took 30 pieces of silver for betraying Christ. That's all Jesus was worth in fulfilling that prophecy. And he says, worth in fulfilling that prophecy, threw it into the house of the Lord.

They bought a potter's field. Judas hung himself in that potter's field. That concludes Skip Heitzig's message from the series, The Bible from 30,000 feet. Find the full message as well as books, booklets and full teaching series at connectwithskip.com. Right now, listen as Skip shares how you can share life-changing teaching from God's unchanging Word with more people around the world. All believers are called to help others encounter the God who is seeking them out. And our goal is to come alongside friends like you to encourage you to help others connect with God through His Word. That's why we share these messages with you and with others. And today you can take action to ensure these teachings keep reaching you and so many others worldwide. This year I'm praying for resources to grow the reach of these broadcasts into more major U.S. cities. And you can help make that possible with your generosity.

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800-922-1888. Thank you for your generosity. Be sure you're here tomorrow for the conclusion of Skip's series, The Bible from 30,000 feet as he opens the book of Malachi, the bridge between the Old and New Testament. So burdens on His Word make the connection, the connection. Connect with Skip Hyton is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.