Sermon Tone Analysis
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*A Wall of Fire Without and the Glory Within*
*Responsive Reading: Isaiah 60*
*Hymn: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing - # 93*
*Text: */Zechariah 2.5 ~~ “‘For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”/
*Introduction: *The Lord stirs up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia to release His people out of captivity and incredibly only 50,000 return home.
Those who do return are met with severe opposition that causes them to cower in their mission to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple of God.
The Lord speaks to Zechariah calling them to repent and then speaks to them “Good and Comforting Words” in Eight Visions to Zechariah.
The first vision is a General Vision giving generalities where as the subsequent visions play out the intricate and specific details.
The Second Vision answers an immediate question, What about all of the opposition, our enemies?
The Lord demonstrates that He Remembers His people and their condition.
Although it appears their strength and numbers are too great and overwhelming, God meets the challenge with Four Craftsmen, sufficient in number, strength and ability to terrify and cast down.
*/“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”/*
This prophecy is considered the most obscure of the books of prophecy; however, some seventy prophecies are revealed in the New Testament, most concerning the Messiah.
There are those who believe the book to concern only ethnic Israel; but it is apparent that ethnic Israel has never experienced the fulfillment of these words as is fulfilled in the Church of Christ.
The fulfillment of these words of God in the magnitude in which they are expressed here are only in the Church of Christ.
In verse 5, the Lord strikes a double theme that assures His people of His presence it is these four words, “For I will be */A Wall of Fire Without and the Glory Within/*…”
*I.
The Vision*
A. *The Lord doesn’t give us these things to hide the truth from us, but to reveal the truth.*
You see Zechariah asking all throughout, “What is this?
What are you doing?
Where are you going?”
And, every time the Lord answers his questions.
Mark 4.11-12 and 21-25.
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There are several characters in the vision.
Immediately we are introduced to a surveyor.
What is he doing?
What is his purpose?
A surveyor measures out and sets the boundaries property.
However, just as quickly as he appears he is gone.
So, what is his purpose?
He performs a symbolic action in the vision.
His purpose is to measure Jerusalem, to see what the width and length are.
However, we are not given any measurements.
In fact, we don’t see him again.
His purpose is to perform a symbolic action of infinite measurements of an immeasurable host.
The important thing is what the vision represents.
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After the surveyor, we are introduced to the conversation between two angels, one who is the interpreting angel and another angel.
The other angel tells the interpreting angel to /“*Run*, speak to this young man…”/ We can see the urgency, “Run!”
He insists on Zechariah knowing something that Zechariah might give to Jerusalem.
The Lord hides nothing from His children.
He seeks to encourage with the details of those “Good and Comforting Words.”
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The vision now turns to Jerusalem herself, not so much the physical place her inhabitants.
The Lord speaks of “Her” in verse 5.
However, we must be sure to understand this is not the physical city of Jerusalem.
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This does not and cannot refer to the physical city, because later we find Nehemiah commissioned to rebuild the city walls.
Here the vision speaks of a city with no walls.
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Also, it cannot be national, ethnic Israel, because there are only 50,0000 who had returned.
The majority stayed in captivity.
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This must be symbolic.
It must also be supernatural.
They are innumerable.
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Verse 5 is the key verse concerning the vision.
It is the focal point.
The Lord speaks.
It now becomes apparent who the other angel is.
It is once again the Angel of the Lord.
*/“‘For I,’ says the Lord.”/*
The Word of the Lord is always the focal point.
What does the Lord say?
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He says, /“I will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.”/
The rest of the vision, verses 6-13, illuminates the fullness of these two realities: The Lord is her protection and her glory.
This is to assure Jerusalem that the Lord is Present.
*II.
A Wall of Fire and the Glory in Her Midst*
A. The vision gives a marvelous demonstration of the absolute and perpetual protection for the people of God.
Notice the Lord says, “I will be a wall of fire all around her.”
There are several things about this:
1. Cities were built with walls.
The functions of walls are to keep out enemies.
They fortify.
They offer protection by keeping enemies out.
Jerusalem was strategically set in the midst of mountains.
Mountains offered protection to the city as well as it own walls.
However, armies still came in, destroyed the city and took captive the inhabitants.
Now, the Lord says Jerusalem will be inhabited as towns without walls.
This perfectly describes the Condition of the Church.
2. Its condition is no protection in the flesh.
There are no walls.
No walls means they are wide open to attack and invasion.
“I send you as sheep into the midst of wolves.”
This is the reality for the true church.
The True Church has no protection of the flesh.
3. But, this city without walls has a wall.
It is a wall of fire.
Its wall is better than stone or mountains.
Armies went around or over mountains.
This wall cannot be scaled.
Fire is dreadful.
It totally surrounds the city.
Who or what could get in?
The fire would consume every invader.
4. It is inferred that the fire is absolute and perpetual.
It is all around.
There is not a hole anywhere in the wall.
It is perpetual in that it is continuous, everlasting as God.
B. However, not only is there absolute and perpetual protection, but glory within.
His glory is in the midst of the city.
Revelation 21.21-27
There is no need of light.
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