Turning from Sin to the Savior - A Picture of Repentance & Restitution

Introduction

This morning I’m going to be preaching a message from the Book of Zechariah entitled “Turning from Sin to the Savior.” And in it we are going to be seeing A Picture of Repentance & Restitution.”

If you have been keeping up with our reading plan over the last couple weeks you should know that we are currently in the Books of Zechariah, Ezra & Esther.

Now, just so we are all on the same page here, I’m going to give you a quick run down of where we are.

Last week we read in the Book of Daniel how that the Children of Israel were taken bondage into the land of Babylon.

The Children of Israel had transgressed against the Lord and God had sent prophet after prophet after prophet to the Children of Israel preaching a message of repentance but they would not heed the warnings!

Because of their disobedience, God allowed them to be taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon where they would spend the next 70 years in bondage to the Babylonians.

Now, just because they were in bondage doesn’t mean that God wasn’t still in their midst, Amen!

We read stories last week like the story of the 3 Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego who had to teach ole King Nebuchadnezzar a lesson about their God!

And then we also read the famous story of Daniel in the lions den where God shut the mouths of the lions and delivered Daniel and because of God’s moving among His people, some of the mightiest kings in all the earth at this point and time turned to Him!

The irony in the scripture before us is the lack of obedience shown by God’s own people but the complete obedience of a people who knew Him not!

Because of a few loyal, obedient followers, many nations turned to the God of Heaven and Earth when His own chosen people turned from Him!

Which was what lead them to the pickle they were in!

So the Children of Israel were in bondage to the Babylonians for 70 years under the rule and reign of King Nebuchadnezzar and then king Cyrus of Persia, God’s chosen vessel, comes along and defeats Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son and takes over the kingdom.

After the takeover, God speaks to Cyrus’s heart, which you will find in Ezra Chapter 1, and he makes a proclamation that anyone who would like to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of God was free to do so.

The was glorious news to the ears of the Children of Israel and so they began to return home in companies.

The first company to return was a company of 42,360 people along with another 7,337 servants and maids who traveled with them. So, the first company to return to Jerusalem was around 50,000 strong!

The first thing the people did upon returning to Jerusalem was to set up the altar of God and make burnt offerings and sacrifices to the God of Israel and then in the second year of their return they began to set in order the rebuilding of the temple.

They started withe the foundation of temple but opposition quickly arose from the surrounding peoples who went as far as to send a letter to the King of Persia at the time who had the building come to a complete stop!

For the next 16 years from around 536 BC to around 520 BC the temple of God lay untouched until one day the Word of the Lord came unto two prophets, one of which we will be looking at today, Haggai and Zechariah.

Now, Haggai was the elder prophet who comes on the scene and scolds the Children of Israel for allowing God’s house to lay bare all the while they were busy building and fashioning their own houses!

His message was a message of “get your priorities straight starting with the house of God!”

He encouraged and emboldened the people of God to finish the rebuilding process in spite of what the opposition might think or do for if God be for them, it mattered not who stood against them and the message could have never been more true!

His message, along with the fire and fervor of Zechariah’s message would lead the Children of Israel to set to work the rebuilding of the House of God, in spite of the opposition once again trying to stop them, and see it gloriously completed some 4 years later!

Now that you have a little history as to where we are in today’s reading, I want to look at two specific passages that was in our reading plan this week from the Book of Zechariah.

And although I know this first part was a message to the Children of Israel for rebuilding the temple and the second part a message that parallels with the second coming of the Messiah, I believe when put together, they bring about a beautiful picture of repentance & restitution for the sinner and the saint throughout all ages and that is what I want us to focus in on this morning!

So, if you have your Bible's with you this morning, turn with me to the Book of Zechariah, Chapter 1 and we will be starting with the first six verses.

Zechariah 1:1-6. If you have it would you say, Amen.

The Word of the Lord

Zechariah — means “Yahweh remembers”

After being in bondage for 70 years it’s only fitting that God would use a prophet named Zechariah to deliver His message, don’t you think?

God — “Hey Israel, my beloved chosen children, I have not forgotten you! I remember you. I remember where you are. I have seen your afflictions. I have heard your cries.

Believe me, this wasn’t the way that I wanted this to take place but you wouldn’t listen! I only wanted the best for you, to give you a future and a hope but you would not listen! Over and over and over I sent my messengers to you but your turned them away, you mocked them, you beat them and some you even killed!

I had no other choice but to allow the errors of your ways bring about your chastisement in order that correction could take place. Don’t think for one second though that I had forgotten you! That could never happen!

The whole time you’ve been in bondage I’ve been working things out for your good! Making a way for you to return home! Placing people right where I want them to bring about my will! Never forget, Yahweh Remembers!”

Aren’t you glad this morning that we serve a God who remembers?

I don’t know about you but I’ve had times in my life where I felt like I was all alone and no one remembered but praise be to God, I have a friend in Jesus who will never leave me, nor forsake me and my God remembers, Amen!

Next I want you to see what is that comes to Zechariah?

The Bible says it was the Word of the Lord that came unto Zechariah does it not?

Now, Zechariah’s grandfather the Bible tells us here was a prophet and also if you go back you will find he was also one of the priests that returned with Zerubabbel.

So, the Word of the Lord had at some point also came to his grandfather and now it was coming to this young man.

I say young man because if you look in Chapter 2 Verse 4 the Bible calls him a young man.

Now I don’t know how young Zechariah was but I can only imagine taking a sharp message of repentance to a people much his elder was not the first thing on his mind!

But can I tell you something about the Word of the Lord for those of us who have been called to preach it....You can only run from it, you can only hide it in your heart so long!

And what I mean by that is there comes a time when you just have to tell somebody what God is laying on your heart!

Jeremiah 20:9b — “But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, And I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”

Listen friends, I know what Jeremiah was talking about! There have been times in my life when I’ve been reading something and God will speak to my heart and I just have to tell someone!

And y’all wonder why I get so worked up on Sunday mornings!

I just can’t help but to get excited about the Word of the Lord and my prayer this morning and that some of you sitting here would get excited about the Word of the Lord in so much that it’s like a fire pent up in your bones and you’d have not other option but than to tell somebody about it, Amen!

But the Word of the Lord came unto Zechariah and tells him to deliver a message to the Children of Israel.

He starts by telling Zechariah that God has been very displeased with his fathers.

Vs. 2 — John G Butler — Most men are not too interested in what pleases God, but you had better be, for that is all that matters in eternity.

Listen friend, as long as you are pleasing God, it doesn’t matter who you displease but if you are displeasing God, it doesn’t matter who you please!

God is the one each of us will be giving an answer to one day not a human from this side of eternity, so I’d much rather make sure I’m pleasing the one I have to spend eternity with, than someone I may spend a short span of time with down here, Amen!

So, we see the Word of the Lord and how it comes to Zechariah and now I want you to see some specifics of the Word that comes to him.

A Word of Wisdom

James 4:8 — Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Romans 8:31b — If God be for us, who can be against us?

A Word of Warning

Vs. 4 — 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 — 15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Vs. 4 — Hebrews 3:15 — “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

Vs. 4 — 2 Corinthians 6:2b — “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”

Vs. 4 — James 1:22–25 — 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Vs. 5 — Isaiah 55:6 — Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near:

Vs. 6 — Luke 13:3 — “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”

A Word for the Wayward

Ephesians 2:8–9 — 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:5 — Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Acts 4:12 — Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 3:16–19, 36 — 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.