From Intent To Reality - Part I

From Intent To Reality – Part I

(Zechariah 13:1-6)

Introduction:

As we look at this passage of scripture, I want to talk with you as an individual

But I also want to talk with you collectively.

And I want to challenge us a person/church to reaffirm our commitment to the Lord

I just want to attempt to get our expectations and our reality in close proximity

Explain: Expectations /Reality (Disappointment)

Illustrations: (Married with one expectation… / Far from reality) / New Job

So, I don’t want you to have the wrong expectations about this passage

Nor the purpose of my preaching.  This is designed to help us appreciate that

By the grace of God you are where you are. By the grace of God you are who you are

And every now and then we need to reevaluate our walk with the Lord

To see if we have kept the commitment that we made through our obedience.

Having said that, we now have our expectations in close proximity with our reality

Point:

Now, we are probably going to be in the book of Zechariah for the next couple of weeks, because when you address a passage (expositionally / textually)

It takes some time to make the passage make sense and help us apply the text

Read:  Zechariah 13:1-6

V1 (In that day a fountain. Typically a fountain has to do with a cleansing affect)

In the Hebrew bible, God is referred as the fountain of living water

So, when they talk about a fountain, they are referring to a cleansing of something

Reference: (Hymn: There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins

And sinners plunge beneath that flood loose all their guilty stains)

So what he is saying is in that day a fountain shall be open (V1)

And that fountain is going to be for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem

And the purpose of that fountain is for the cleansing (sin and impurity)

(V2) That I am going to do three things

1)     Cut off the names of the idols from the land (I am going to deal with idolatry)

2)     I will also remove the prophets and

3)     Unclean spirit (notice he does not say unclean spirits)

There is an unclean spirit that is restricting this vision from being completed

And when we talk about this, we are going to deal with the names of the idols

We are going to address idolatry. Then we will deal with the false prophets

And finally we will deal with the unclean spirit

Point:

We will name him. We will identify him. And we will deal with him.

Read: Zechariah 13:3-4 (V4- They will not even wear the clothes of a prophet)

Read: Zechariah 13:5-6

Body:

Let me help you with appreciating chapter 13 by putting it in its context of the book of Zechariah.  And what Zechariah is really writing about.

The book of the Zechariah is one of the ancient prophets and his name is a very interesting name.

(Zechariah) – Yahweh remembers (Ze char weh) – The Lord remembers

The Lord is a Lord that does not forgets. He remembers.

Zechariah was a prophet along with another prophet by the name of Haggai.

Haggai’s book is just in front of Zechariah and it is only a couple of chapters

But Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries

They were commissioned by Zerubbabel who was in the lineage of king David

And ultimately in the genealogy of Jesus the Christ

Point:

These two prophets were commissioned to go back to Jerusalem

And their mission was to stir up the Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem after it was destroyed.

Reference: (King of Babylon -Nebuchadnezzar)

(Burned the walls of Jerusalem / Tore down the gates / Ultimately destroyed the temple)

And the city laid in ruins, but in that desolate condition they took captive some people from Jerusalem. (Babylonian captivity)

Reference: (David – lion’s den) / (Three Hebrew boys)

Chronologically, there was a prophet by the name of Nehemiah.

And it came to a point where Nehemiah had asked the king for permission

To go back and begin the process of restoring the city.

And the prophets involved in that process were Nehemiah and Ezra.

And they begin to rebuild the walls. They restored the gates

And laid the foundation for the restoration of the temple.

But they had not completed the work. They had not finished the job

And the people got distracted.

Point:

The walls were up. The gates were restored.
And the people celebrated, but they over a work that was still to be completed.

They got distracted, because ultimately they were to restore the temple.

But, in comparison to so many works, we start something but we don’t finish it.

Point:

So, by the time you get to the time of Zerubbabel, and he commissions to come with him, Zechariah and Haggai, and their mission is to

1. Stir up the people
2. Remind the people
3. Rekindle their spirits

In completing what they started.

Point:

The reason that’s important is even in our own lives we will start something, get distracted along the way but not finish it.

The message I want to share with you is (“Let’s bring intent into reality”)

Let’s finish what we started

Illustration:

(Married) – Finish what you started /

Too many marriages breaking up. Too many people that will make a vow

But later in that marriage you get distracted. You incur problems

(No relationship is perfect. You are going to have some problems)

But you ought bring your intent into reality / Finish what you started

Illustration:

(Raising Children) – Started out raising children / Finish what you started

But you finish what you started

Point:

And maybe the reason we don’t get the help that we need many times

Is because when you come in here, (sitting all proper, looking all pious)

But you know you have some struggles going on!

Point:

Many of our congregations have a vision (Ferguson Heights, we have a vision)

(Not popular) – I believe that God gives vision to a man (not to a committee)

He gives it to a man

Define: (Leader) – A person that can take intent to reality and sustain it.

Point:

There are a lot of people that have good intentions but never do anything with their intentions.

But a leader

Can take his dream

Can take his vision

Can take his intent and make it real and keep it real

That’s what a leader does.

So Ferguson Heights as we look at our vision

(If we listen to God, If we commune with the Lord)

And I am not talking about something you dreamed up out of the air

I’m talking about something that comes out of the word of God.

And if you have a vision, let’s finish the vision

(Ferguson, we have a vision. Let’s finish the vision)

Point:

The reason that is important in this text is Zechariah mission

The reason he was sent was to stir up the people to finish/complete the restoration of the temple.

They had become distracted. They had stopped the work.

Reference: Haggai 1:2

Now, you are suppose to be restoring the temple, but the people say (It’s not time)

(Haggai 1:3) God says, you got time to build up your house. You have time (panel)

You have time to take care of your business

But God’s business lies in ruins.

(God) – Here’s what I will do / You want to do business with Me, I’ll do business with you

Read: Haggai 12:5-6

God says, you are working on your business so much and leaving my undone

God says,

You’ll sow much and bring in little

You’ll eat but you will not be satisfied with your food

You’ll drink but it won’t do you any good

You’ll buy clothes but can’t get warm

And all that money you are making you will put it in a bag of holes

Illustrate: (Working 2-3 jobs – still can’t make ends meet)

God is saying, you will never prosper until you take care of what you should take care of for God

Point:

So, Haggai, Zechariah, how are you going to stir up the people and get them involved

Now, that’s part of the reason I got interested in this text

Because if I can see how they stirred up the people, maybe I can learn something

About how to stir up Ferguson Heights

And we are at a point where things are progressing well and we are trying to

Accomplish the goals that we have set for the first quarter

And many of them are getting done and people are working hard to make it real

And in addition to that, we are still implementing efforts to help us become a community sensitive church, which is part of our vision statement.

Point:

See, we believe that congregations are strategically planted

They’re like trees (trees don’t plant themselves)

(God) – You’ll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water

And we have been strategically placed in this Ferguson community

And this community should be better because we are here. (We are on our way)

We are attempting to bring our intent into reality (Finish what we have started)

Let’s not get distracted. Don’t lay down your sword and shield

Point:

So, let’s see how Zechariah and Haggai got the people stirred up.

And if it stirred them up…

Point:

They worked on the temple for 18 years

Zechariah and Haggai got to working on them (4years later they had it done)

Question: Zechariah how did you stir them up

He did three things.

(Reference: Zechariah 13)

1. We have to deal with idolatry (We have to cut off the names of the idols)

(Just a little bit) – If we don’t get rid of idolatry the vision will never be completed

(This is not just with your spiritual walk) – If you have something you want to do dropped the ball & haven’t completed it. It will probably come back to this same outline

So, if we are going to make a difference (husband/wife/congregation) put God first

Now, when we deal with idolatry I’ll give you (definition of idolatry / God’s denunciation of idolatry / danger of idolatry)

And if we don’t get rid of that one first, we are going to stay in trouble

1. The false prophet (little rocky)

See in the text the prophet was not right, but he was covering up

When we get to verse six (what are these wounds)

The people are asking him (why are you all cut up)

(What are things wounds between your hands/arms)

Point:

See earlier, he didn’t wear his prophet garments

And he didn’t wear them because he was going to some places where he didn’t

Want them to know that he was the prophet

And while he was there he got all cut up

(What he was doing was worshiping the god Baal) – Involved in pagan worship

And when you worship Baal you inflict cuts on your body

Reference: Elijah & the 450 prophets of Baal (Call on Baal) - cutting themselves)

The man has been out there fooling around with pagan worship and when he comes in

His family said to him (why are you all cut up)

And he has to lie. (Why are you cut up)

(Answer) – These are wounds I got in the house of my friends

See, we want to blame someone else

Illustrate:

I got cut up trying to help somebody

I got cut up by people I thought were on my side

(No. – You are blaming the people that love you (trying to take care of you))

No, you got cut up because you were out there somewhere you had no business being

(What are these wounds) – You know I got wounded at the church

(Church hasn’t done anything to you.)

Point: Don’t sit in the seat of the victim

Perhaps what’s happening is you are experiencing the consequences of your sin

(You can be forgiven of your sins, but there are still consequences for your sins)

1. The unclean spirit

Now, all I am going to tell you right now is who he is.  We are going to name him

(Disease – If we know what it is… feel a little better) / But if he can’t tell you

And when we get to him, I want to talk about that spirit of mis-education

The spirit of mis-education.

And what it has done is caused us to resist some things that could help us

But we have been mis-educated

Conclusion:

We are to deal to with idolatry, the false prophet and the unclean spirit with a view toward:

If these things were hindering the progress of the Jews in Jerusalem completing the task that God gave them.

If we can deal with them in our lives it is likely to help us bring our intent to reality (finish what we started). That’s in my life (Your life) Living the Christian walk

(Too many people have started the Christian walk) – Didn’t count the cost

Got distracted and not bringing their intent into reality

Illustration: (Find illustration)

You’re wounded, because you stopped praying

You’re wounded, because you stopped trusting God

You’re wounded, because you are operating off of your own intuition

(What are these wounds between your hands)

Now, come back tonight and we talk some more from Zechariah 13

Now I know that all the faithful will be here tonight

But the idolaters have something to do.  They won’t be back.

(The reason you don’t come back at night is idolatry)

We are on our way to being a great church.

See, you don’t have to be sick to get better.