Luke Part 45: Beware hypocracy!

Text: Luke 12:1-12

This passage continues Jesus' teachings on kingdom living. Jesus is teaching about how the members of the Kingdom (Christians) will live. The way they live will be seen by the world around them.

The subject of this section is indicated plainly in the first verse: hypocracy. Hypocracy is simply acting differently than what we are. It is one of the most dangerous things in the Kingdom, and is to be constantly guarded against.

The first comment Jesus makes regarding hypocracy is that it is foolishness. All things will be revealed anyway; there is nothing hidden from God. Why act in this way?

Jesus further elaborates that hypocracy is borne from a fear of men's faces. Do we want to play down our relationship with Jesus? Do we want to fit in? Jesus reminds us not to have any fear of men; they can only harm our physical well-being, but they have no power over the soul. Fear, specifically the fear of man, is a danger that leads to hypocracy.

How can we avoid hypocracy? By fearing God, rather than man! We must reverence Him and trust Him. We're reminded that we can trust Him, as He takes care of the sparrow and knows the number of the hairs on our heads. He is kind, loving, and trustworthy. We have great value to Him ("more than many sparrows") because of Christ's work. Christ has brought us near and we have been adopted as sons.

In verse 8, we see that Christ will own His people before the angels. This is not in some future life; this is something that occurs now, as Christ guides the angels to meet our needs.

The next section concerns the so-called "unpardonable sin".  We are told that you can speak against Christ and be forgiven, but a blaspheming the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.  This blasphemy against the Holy Spirit represents an unrepentant heart.  An unrepentant heart cannot be forgiven; the self-righteous cannot be saved.  The hard heart refuses the Spirit and goes on in opposition to Christ.

Finally, we have a reminder of the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit will help you when you are in a situation where you need to give an account of your faith.  Yield to the Holy Spirit; He will lead you into open confession, not hypocracy!

Zechariah Part 6: Conclusion of the Prophecy

Text: Zechariah 14

This chapter contains the conclusion to the prophecy began in the previous chapters. We can assume that the prophecy is consistent throughout; that the same things are being referred to as in the previous chapters. This prophecy contains a discussion about God as King, and this King's people, and a gathering of people into that kingdom.

As in the previous chapters, this is a prophecy about "that day". Is this prophecy regarding Israel's destruction in 70 AD? It could be. The physical Jerusalem that existed until 70 AD was a representative of the Old Covenant, and it was replaced by a spiritual New Jerusalem, a representative of the New Covenant. There is both a physical and spiritual explanation.

In verse 4, we see the theme of a great wide valley being opened up. This valley is a picture of the gospel truth spreading, and the fleeing is a picture of Jewish conversions, including the great day of Pentecost.

There is a darkness described in verses 6,7 -- but even in the darkest hours of the Kingdom, there will remain a light. There will be an era of incomplete light.

Verse 8 pictures the truth spreading beyond Jerusalem, beyond the Jewish people. The spread of the truth will continue through the hard times (winter) and good times (summer).

Verse 12 shows the judgment to come on those who reject these spiritual truths and refuse to enter the Kingdom. They had seen the truth, but rejected it, so their eyes are consumed. They didn't glorify God, but instead rejected Him, so their tongue shall be consumed.

Interestingly, the terrible things prophesied about in this passage did come true in 70 AD. The Zealots within the Temple under siege were fighting among themselves, killing each other for power and authority, and even killing and consuming each other in the famine.

There is the picture of plagues in verse 16-19. There would be no rain on those who didn't come up to keep the Feast of Booths; rain (water) is symbolic of the wells of salvation that will be loosed upon those who recognize the transitory nature of their lives, the symbolic meaning of the Feast of Booths.

Jesus showed the significance of the Feast of Booths when He proclaimed in John 7, "All who are thirsty, come to Me and drink!" as the water was poured out in the ceremony. That is the significance of this feast -- that we are pilgrims in this world, but at the end we shall receive God's deliverance and blessings. We look to a heavenly kingdom, and we are not caught up in the politics and affairs of this world.

Verses 20 and 21 would have been shocking words to the Jewish hearers. In the New Covenant, all things are "holiness unto the Lord." Every person in the Kingdom is involved in the service of the Lord; each of us is a priest to Him. This is not a mixed community, as the Old Covenant was. There are no more unbelievers in the New Jerusalem.

The Lord has won the victory! Do we look forward to the great day coming when His kingdom with have its ultimate consummation?

Zechariah Part 5: Continued Prophecies of the New Covenant

Text: Zechariah 12, 13

This section of Zechariah continues the prophecies from the previous chapter. These prophecies are not in chronological order; they are looking at the same event from different perspectives.

In Chapter 12:1-9, there is a prophecy about an event that will occur "in that day" (v.3). What is the day being referred to here? This can be identified as the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. The day of His coming and establishing His kingdom marked the fulfillment and bringing to an end of the Old Covenant.

The blessing on Israel as a physical nation was ended. The New Covenant spiritual Israel is what is in view in this chapter -- a kingdom that will be trembled at.

There is a blessing here on the house of David. Christ, the seed of David, will be exalted. All of His followers will have the courage and strength to overcome trouble and testing in that day.

Verses 10 and 11 give a better understanding of that day -- it is the day when they will look upon Christ and see Him pierced (His death on the cross).

Verses 12-14 describe a mourning. This will not be a national mourning, but rather a particularized mourning. It is an individual thing, as the New Covenant is made up of individuals. Individuals must each mourn their sin and the death of their Savior by themselves.

Chapter 13:1 identifies the Lord Jesus' death on the cross. He is the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness.

Verses 2-6 describe the result of the finished work of Christ. No false teaching will be tolerated in the Kingdom. People will recognize the truth and tolerate nothing that diminishes Christ's glory. Apostles and prophets will demand truth and will refuse to hear false prophets. False prophets will repent and be corrected and ashamed of their false teaching. They will be brought to repentance by their friends.

Verses 7-9 are a section that Jesus quoted. God smote the Shepherd; He slayed His only Son and the sheep were scattered. Note that two thirds were cut off -- but a remnant was saved.

Zechariah Part 4: Further Prophecy of God's Dealings With Israel

Text: Zechariah 9-11

In Chapter 9 of Zechariah, we see prophecies speaking to the coming New Testament time. God told His people of what was coming, regarding the establishment of the Kingdom and the coming of Christ. These words were sufficient for the next 400 years of silence.

A number of people groups are listed -- Syria, Phoenicia, the Philistines -- and their destruction is prophesied. This destruction came 200 years later when Alexander the Great destroyed these groups. But Alexander did not go on to Jerusalem; He received a vision from God that he was not to touch Jerusalem. When the Philistines saw this deliverance, many trusted God -- the remnant here described.

This passage also prophecies how the north and south kingdoms were united by the Macabees and they defeated Antiochus Epiphanes. This was Ephraim and Judea, the "bow and arrow".

In Chapter 10, the prophecy elaborates on the blessings that Ephraim and Judea will receive. Also, we see the introduction of the theme of a shepherd, and that the Lord has a people and will take care of them.

In verse 1, they are told to "ask for rain" -- this is an example for us, to be bold and ask God for blessings. Also, they are told to ask at an appropriate time, at the time for the spring rains.

In verse 6, we see that God will restore His people and have compassion on them. He will call, gather, and redeem. These are the blessings the Jews were to be asking for.

We see the people are in a bad state -- they are "without a shepherd" (without a leader). And God is not pleased with their leaders. He is angry at the shepherds. It's no good to follow the wrong leader. Misguided ritual is of no use. There is no excuse for following someone who is leading you astray; God will not hear of it.

Verse 4 is the key verse in the chapter. Christ is the prophesied immovable, eternal "corner stone", the tent peg holding all together.

Chapter 11 is a prophecy of an upcoming civil war. The leaders were unable to collect their tax monies (the howling of the shepherds), and they asked the Romans to come in and put down the rebellion. In doing so, the Romans ruined the country, destroying the great forests at Lebanon and Bashan.

In verses 7-14, the prophecy discusses the Messiah. God will feed the true Jews (pasture the flock doomed to slaughter). Then we have the prophecy of the two staffs -- "Favor" and "Union". "Favor" represents Israel, and "Union" represents the union of Judah and Ephraim.

Verse 8 speaks of annihilation of the "three shepherds". This is not literally three people, but represents the leaders in three realms: civil, religious, and prophetic -- corresponding to the king, priest, and prophet. These leaders were failing in their duty and would be destroyed.

God shows He no longer has a care for false professors. When Christ was crucified, the "Favor" staff was broken -- the covenant with Israel was over. The "Union" staff was broken as well. Animosity would remain between Judah and Israel.

Zechariah Part 3: A Call to Reality

Text: Zechariah 7-8

This passage begins with men from Bethel asking the priests if they should continue to fast in the 5th and 7th months. They had been fasting in the 5th and 7th months -- as well as the 4th and 10th -- to commemorate different events associated with the fall of Jerusalem.

Years had passed since that fall, and progress was being made to rebuild the wall, so the men were wondering if they should continue fasting, or if it was the time to renew hope and begin rejoicing.

God gives the answer to their question in the following chapters. He is going to show them how to worship, and show that worship is not just a hollow ritual but true worship is combined with a changed life.

Verses 4-7 of Chapter 7 begin with a stern correction for their fasting. Their fasting didn't do any good! It wasn't commanded in the Law; they were adding to the Law. And God speaks directly to their inward motivation, rather than this outward ritual.

Their motivation to fast was to get something from God; they wanted to feel good about themselves. But the proper motivation in worship is always to give something: to show homage and give glory to God.

God said (paraphrasing): "You should have listened to the old prophets! You didn't need to create this ritual." The message: submission unto the Lord and repentance from sin is what God seeks in His worshipers.

In verse 8-14, God makes it clear that what they needed was to have real life in their hearts. Their religious ritual meant nothing because they weren't worshiping Him in their lives. They gave 70 years of fasting, rather than living before God in their lives. Ritual is easy -- do we worship as ritual, or are we coming prepared and ready to meet with God?

In Chapter 8, God lays out the blessing He has in store. He had always purposed to love and bless His people, but He would not have them follow after other gods. God was as determined to bless them as He was to bring curses upon them when they went astray.

This is now a time for rejoicing, not fasting and mourning. God promised to make His people a blessing. They were receiving a down payment on the restoration. And God commanded them to do certain things (v16, 17). God encouraged them in their work, just as He encourages us in our work now.

This prophecy at the end of the chapter is concerned with a future day, "In that day" -- this would be the day when Jesus was to come. A time awaited when the Messiah would come and people would flock to Him. The Jews would be blessed to be the first to receive that message. People from all nations would hear about the Messiah and come to God. The prophecy shows plainly how the Gentiles would take hold of the Jews and become one people, the true Israel, following God.

God blessed the world through the Jews; through the Jewish disciples of Jesus, He brought in many Gentiles. The Jews would be part of the coming Kingdom of the Son, Jesus. They would be the first fruits among the nations.

Zechariah Part 2: A Vision for Zerubabbel: Get up and get working!

Text: Zechariah 4

This passage contains a vision that Zechariah received. The vision is primarily given for the benefit of Zerubabbel, the man who was organizing the effort to rebuild the Jewish temple after the Jews had returned from captivity in Babylon, but we can draw interesting and appropriate conclusions for our life based on the principles conveyed. In this passage, God supplies the interpretation of the vision as well as the vision itself.

One of the key phrases of this vision is, " 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." Israel didn't have any might (wealth and armies) or power (strength, courage, and valor of individuals). God was going to accomplish the rebuilding through Zerubabbel, by the power of His Spirit, not by earthly strength. In the same way, God accomplishes great things through us, by His Spirit, not ours.

There were many at that time who were "despising the day of small things." The new temple they was building was smaller and less impressive than the previous one. But that was the wrong attitude. This temple was where God had chosen to shine His revelation.

This vision was a message of encouragement to Zerubabbel, and a word for all Israel: Get up and get busy! Finish the temple! God had called them to do the work, and was telling them that He would do it, through His strength. In the same way, we are called to do things in the Kingdom, and we shouldn't get discouraged at their smallness or at the difficulties. We should be reminded that God will finish the works He begins.

We can make a few observations from what we read about this vision:

1. The Lord came to Zechariah -- the vision didn't come from Zechariah's entreaty. God comes to us through His gracious desire to make Himself known.
2. Zechariah was wakened out of his sleep. God has to awaken us, to put us into our right minds. God has to clear away what is affecting our minds. He makes an appeal directly to our intellectual understanding.
3. Zechariah was asked what he saw. Zechariah was responsible for passing the vision on to Zerubabbel, and God wanted to make sure he could accurately represent the word given. In the same way, we should be careful to accurately represent the Word God has given us.
4. Zechariah asked, "What does this mean?" He was willing to say, "I don't know." He was a humble man. We should be humble as he was: if you don't know something, ask God to make His Word plain to you.

Some particulars from the vision:

1. Candlestick -- represents the nation of Israel. It is gold, showing that they are special.
2. The Seven Lamps -- like the seven eyes of the stone in the previous chapter, these represent the eyes of God. God will have His eyes on His people; they will have His presence and His guidance.
3. The Oil -- represents the Holy Spirit
4. The two olive trees are a topic of some contention, but I believe they represent Zerubabbel and the high priest Joshua, the men who were responsible for the rebuilding of the temple. They were guiding and leading the nation of Israel, bringing forth good fruit by the Spirit.

From a New Covenant perspective, we see Joshua and Zerubabbel as representatives of Christ and the Spirit. And the candlestick represents the true Israel, the people of God: the church.

Zechariah Part 1: The Kingdom is Coming!

The book of Zechariah contains a prophecy about the coming Kingdom that would be initiated by Christ and also some prophecies that relate to events happening at the time of the return from Jewish exile in Babylon.

Zechariah was a son of a prophet, one of the returning ones. He preached a message in the Name and authority of God.

The book of Zechariah can be divided into distinct sections.

1. First, a proclamation that the Kingdom was coming
2. Next, an exhortation that the Jews had a part to play -- duties to perform in bringing about that Kingdom
3. A reminder that the Kingdom of God was bigger than the Jews, and would encompass all nations.
4. A series of visions (Chapter 6-8)
5. The first oracle (prophecy of God) -- Chapters 9-11
6. The second oracle -- Chapters 12-14

The proclamation that the Kingdom was coming was also a word of repentance -- there would be no Kingdom without repentance. People were called to:

• Believe God's promises; believe that God's way is the right way
• To do something as a result of His way being true -- for two years the rebuilding of the temple had ceased; they needed to continue its rebuilding
• To not be discouraged by the smallness of the work; this temple would not be as grand and great as the one Solomon had built, but it was the job God had called them to.

Each individual had his part to do in the rebuilding of Jerusalem; each had his duty in bringing about the coming Kingdom. In the same way, we each have a role to perform in God's Kingdom today.

At the beginning of Chapter 3, we see a courtroom scene, with Satan accusing Joshua, the high priest. God tells Satan that He will not destroy Joshua, that Joshua is a "brand plucked out of the fire". Joshua is full of sin, but God has chosen him; God removes Joshua's filthy clothes and clothes him with clean garments, representing the righteousness of Christ. God promises to Joshua that if he follows God, he will be blessed and rewarded.

Verses 8-10 of Chapter 3 contain a discussion of the Branch, representing Jesus Christ. Jesus is also symbolized in the Stone with seven eyes -- seven being the number of completion, demonstrating complete vision. We read here that when the Branch comes, God will remove all the iniquity in one day (the day of the Crucifixion). And the coming of Christ will result in a reconciliation between people (v 10).