Come Back to God.

TITLE: Come Back to God.  TEXT: Zechariah 1:1-6  INTRO: 

 Have you ever gotten lost? In life sometimes you and I get lost and wonder away from God without even realizing it. A preacher’s first sermon is usually difficult to deliver, but in Zechariah’s case, his first message was extra difficult because of the theme—repentance. He was calling God’s people to come back to Him. If you look at the background on this text you will find out that Israel had been held captive in Babylon for 70 years, turning away from the one true God! It was the second year of Darius which was 520 B.C. But we see in this text that God was telling the people of Israel to come back to Him. We see in the text that God urges His people to repent and turn to Him again, warning them not to repeat their ancestors’ mistakes, and promising that He will restore those who genuinely turn back to Him.  The good news is that no matter what we’ve done or how far away we wander away from God the Father, He still always invites us back. Why? Well, because God is a “God of love” (1 John 4:16 KJV) He is a God of unconditional love nothing can make God stop loving you, He is also a God that is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). This message isn’t just for the people in the Bible times–the truth of the matter is that it is for you and me today as well. More than ever before churches have seen a decline in attendance, Christians are not the only ones that need to hear this message but I believe that the whole world needs to hear it. God is still saying “COME BACK TO ME!”

God’s Displeasure with the Past (v.2)

If you look in verse 2, you will see “The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.”  

God the Father was upset with the people’s ancestors because they ignored God’s messages and lived their own way like many people today; they don’t care what the consequence of their actions. This isn’t the only time in the Word of God that God warns people about turning away from Him. If you look in Isaiah 59:2 it says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2 KJV). Sin comes between you and God, just like it did to the people that lived in Zechariah’s day. God wants us to repent from our sins so that we can have a relationship with Him for Everlasting. God is a holy God, and He cannot be anywhere near sin. God wants us to see what happened to those who ignored Him so we can make better choices and obey Him. I have learned that if we don’t listen to God, things in our lives will not go well. 

God Invites Us Back (v.3). 

“Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Listen to me, even though the people had made mistakes, God still wanted them back. This invitation is for EVERYONE that will call upon His name. Not nobody else we have to call upon the True and Living God if we want to have a relationship with Him. If you read in Joel 2:13, God says, “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil” (Joel 2:13 KJV). This shows us how kind and loving our God truly is. He doesn’t give up on the "hopeless" He doesn’t give up on us when we are having a bad day. Can I tell you something, We need more Christians like God today. Just because the road is hard don’t give up, when you’ve been praying for someone and nothing has happened don’t give up on that person because God will work in a mightful way. In the New Testament we see in the books of James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh unto you” (James 4:8 KJV). My Pastor always says that you are as close to God as you want to be. This verse supports that saying. You need to draw close to God and He will draw nigh to you. No matter how far we have gone, no matter what we have done, God is still waiting for us to return to Him—and He promises to meet us in the middle whenever we try to come close to Him. 

3. Don’t Make the Same Mistakes that the people before you did (vv. 4-6). 

“Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us” (Zechariah 1:4-6 KJV). God tells us to learn from the past. Romans 15:4, Paul writes, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4 KJV). Listen to me, we don’t have to make the same mistakes as others have done before us. God’s Word is here to guide us and help us make wise choices. If you read the book of Proverbs you will see Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction”(Proverns 1:7 KJV). 

Conclusion: 

                  Maybe you haven’t chosen God’s way for your life and you’ve chosen to live the way you want too. God is inviting you back, In 1 John 1:9, the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV). No matter what you’ve done, God is ready to forgive you and give you a fresh start. You need to make a choice, Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15 KJV). Think about the Prodigal Son. The son made bad choices and left home, but when he realized his mistakes he came back home. If you read the whole story in Luke 15 you will find out that the father ran and opened his arms and welcomed him back. That’s how God feels when we come back to Him–He is always there waiting to forgive us. God’s message was clear back in Zachariah’s day and it is still clear today: “Turn ye unto me.” He wants you to come back no matter what you’ve done or what you're going to do. Why won’t you return to God today? Don’t wait—come back and experience God’s love and forgiveness. And start brand new. Will you answer his call?