The Promise for the Task

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Introduction

The message Zechariah gave to Zerubabbel is the same message given by Jesus to His disciples. It is a message of promise, a message of partnership, and a message of power. It is a message that must be personalized by each of us if we are to make any headway toward completing the harvest before us.

The message Zechariah gave to Zerubabbel is the same message given by Jesus to His disciples.

It is a message of promise

It is a message of partnership

It is a message of power.

It is a message that must be personalized by each of us if we are to make any headway toward completing the harvest before us.

Zechariah and the Promise

A. Zechariah was sent to the remnant of the faithful who had returned from Exile to Jerusalem and had taken up the task of rebuilding the city.

1. Zechariah was one of two prophets sent, or raised up for that purpose. The other was Haggai.

2. His very name was an encouragement: Zechariah = The Lord Remembers

B. Zerubbabel had taken up the task of rebuilding the Temple and governing the city in it’s restoration.

B. Zerubbabel had taken up the task of rebuilding the Temple and governing the city in it’s restoration.

B. Zerubbabel had taken up the task of rebuilding the Temple and governing the city in it’s restoration.

1. It had been destroyed by the Babylonians ..... the prophesied consequences of the sins of the people.

Idolatry, forsaking the Covenant, mistreating the poor.

2. But King Cyrus, in fulfillment of a prophecy by Isaiah several hundred years earlier, a remnant of the Jewish exiles returned and began rebuilding the Temple.

3. And then came the opposition that forced a sixteen year lay-off from the task. The people became discouraged and refused to continue the work.

- In the process of discouragement the people began to turn away from their passion for the Lord and for Jerusalem.

-They intermarried with foreign people who were inhabiting the land. They again started worshiping foreign gods. Things were going downhill.

-The leadership was also discouraged and unable to motivate the people to press on in the mission.

-The prophet Haggai brought a message of chastisement from the Lord. DISCIPLINE. The people needed to repent, obey, and be cleansed of their sins.

(Repentance = change the mind, change directions, turn back to the right path)

4. Zechariah quickly followed on the heels of Haggai and brought the needed encouragement after the chastisement.

-What a tremendous picture of the Father-heart of God.

-What father does not discipline his children? A father who loves his children will discipline. God loves his children. Discipline is an absolute necessity.

But the Lord doesn’t leave us discouraged in that discipline. He Restores. He Encourages. He Builds up.

5. Zechariah’s message contained two seeds of encouragement.

First: The task is huge. BUT YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Second: The Future is incredible because Messiah is going to rule from this new city.

6. At the center of the message is a PROMISE

Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts.

C. With the encouragement came repentance. After repentance came divine power. With divine power came completion.

b.

Jesus and the Promise

A. Jesus spent three and a half years revealing the Father to His followers.

1. He demonstrated the Father’s love.

-By compassion

-By patience

-Through the miraculous

2. He revealed the Father’s Word

-He opened their eyes

-He taught them the Truth

3. He passed on the to them the Mission

-He led them in proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven

-He coached them

-He left them the responsibility of going into every nook and cranny of the world.

He charged His followers with a task WAY TO HUGE for them to complete!

B. But his last encouragement the them, before He ascended to the right hand of the Father, was filled with a PROMISE

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which”, He said, “you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy spirit not many days from now.”

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

C. Even the FEAST that was approaching was a picture of the IMPOSSIBILITY before them.

PENTECOST

1. It was the Feast that celebrated the beginning of the summer harvest of grain.

a. It was a Feast that signified Provision.

b. It was a Feast that carried Urgency

c. It was a FEAST that set a course toward a completion.

2. There were FIELDS, white already for the harvest that had to be harvested.

a. That generation had to be reached.

b. A world harvest had to happen.

But there were only a handful of followers.

BUT THERE WAS A PROMISE! YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE NECESSARY POWER

-Without that power, the harvest of that early generation could not have happened

-Without that power, the course to completion could not have been established.

And so the promise from God to Zerubbabel echoed loudly in Jesus command.

NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS

WE HAVE ALSO HAVE THE TASK

A. The mission that has been given to us (Manna Church) is huge!

1. In this day and age, reaching anyone is practically an impossible task.

2. Penetrating St Joseph is exceedingly difficult.

3. The HARVEST before us is practically IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT WE HAVE THE TWO WORDS ROLLED INTO ONE.

Not by might nor by power, but You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be WITNESSES...

B. The PROMISE that is our is this: We will received the EXACT amount of POWER for completing the TASK before us.

C. This is a DIVINELY instigated PARTNERSHIP

1. He is with us.

2. His is for us.

3. He has the power, the might, the methods, and the motivation we need.

Conclusion

IT IS TIME WE CALL ON HIM FOR THE PROMISE AND THE POWER

We must repent of any discouragement, complacency, or sinful distractions.

We must set our face toward God and CLAIM the Promise that has already been given.

And Then..... HARVEST away.

-We may have to push through more tares to get to the few heads of wheat.

We may have to continually apply new power (oil) to the combine (our effort).

But in the end, WE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO JESUS!