Promises For God's People

Well, good evening, and welcome to New Grace, Baptist Church on this Wednesday evening on the 22nd of September and we're glad that you are here. Well, of course, on Wednesday nights for the last couple of months. We have been going through the book of Zechariah and let me put up the series and title here, hope and hopeless times, and tonight's message, Ivan title promises for God's people. Not only for the people of Judah, and the people of Israel, but I think that we can see some promises that we can clean to here tonight as well. So, we remember last week we started in chapter 7 of Zachariah, and that's kind of when the word of the Lord came to Zakaria and he was telling the people why they went into captivity and he was explaining why, the Lord had put them in captivity because they had turned their back on him. And remember a couple of Then came in from Bethel and want to know if they needed to keep the The Fast and The Feast that that they were doing while they was in captivity and Zachary. I use that the kind of chastise them in and tell everyone exactly why they were taken into captivity. Well, tonight and Zechariah Chapter 8. This is a night for promises for God's people. This is when God tells him exactly what he's going to do for them in a lot of this, of course, is in Christ Kingdom when he comes back at his second coming and will try to point that out tonight. Also tonight. I have an outline here of Zechariah Chapter 8 that we're going to follow, not to take us through this entire chapter. So let's briefly go over that. I have it here on the screen. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, will see this in the first 6 verses of Zachariah 8. And then Zacharias planes that the people of Israel will be regathered and that's when they're all going to gather and Israel. And a lot of people today think well Israel. The people is Israelites are coming home today. Well, I don't think this is the same coming as the Bible talks about in the last days because in those days, the people will be coming back in belief. Many Jews may be coming back to Israel now, but they're coming back in unbelief. So but at one point it sometime the people of Israel will be regathered. We see that in verse 7 verse 8, it talks of how is your relationship with God will be restored. And then in vs 19 through 13 be going to look at the land of Israel and how that the Lord will refresh it. And then the next 5 verses 14 and 19 Verse 6 vs, The Covenant standards, that's going to be renewed. And then last in the last four verses, we going to look at how the Gentiles will be redeemed. So tonight we're going to talk about the promises concerning Israel or God's people and remember God's people. We don't live on explanations. We live on promises Faith and Hope are nourished by the promises of God given to us in the scripture. So this probably explains why Zakaria kind of dropped the discussion of of how the people had sinned against God, and now he has a new message to deliver them in. So in this message, he focuses on the people's eyes of faith on the future and he shared some wonderful promise is to encourage them. So the first promise that he provides here. Our first point is Jerusalem, will be rebuilt. So, let's look at this and Zechariah Chapter 8, and let's just look at the first 6. Verses in the Bible says that again, the word of the Lord of hosts came saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts. I am zealous for design with great Zeal, with great fervor. I am zealous for her. Thus says, the Lord, I will return to sign and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the city of Truth. The mountain of the Lord of hosts. The Holy Mountain. Says the Lord of hosts old men and old women shell against it in the streets of Jerusalem. Each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets. Thus says, the Lord of hosts, if it is marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in my says, the Lord of hosts. So here we see that guy kind of firms. His love and concern for Israel for Zayn just as he had done earlier in chapter one. He promises that Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and it will become a wholly, different city dedicated. He says here, in truth and Holiness and of course, we know that this promise will be fulfilled when Jesus Christ returns to Earth to establish his kingdom, but the, the Lord hear sinners on people and not buildings. And he particularly talks about the elderly and the children. And so he describes a city, that's so safe and friendly that the elderly can leisurely sit in the streets and talk and where the children can play in the streets and not be in danger. Just think about what that's going to be like in that day. And then think about today's streets as we know. I'm the man made streets of our cities, the elderly and the children aren't safe at all in the streets or anywhere else. Matter fact, many children are killed before. They have a chance to be. Born and when the elderly are no longer useful for us, it seems like today we find legal ways to end their lives, doctor assisted suicide or something like that. But all that's going to change when Jesus returns and his righteousness ranged. So we see here that first of all, the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt but then we see something else and verse 7 and that is the people of Israel will be regathered. Look at it. Here in verse 7. This. Says, the Lord of hosts the whole. I will save my people from the land of the East and from the land of the West. So, true to his Covenant, God had disciplined his disobedient people and he had disperse them throughout the world. Remember, they went Babylon, came and captured Jerusalem burn down the city, the wall. And took all the ornaments and all out of the temple. And then carried all the people back to Babylon, where they were in captivity for 70 years. They did that. Because the people had he did that because the people had turned their back on him. But he says, one day, he's going to regather them to their land and to their holy city. Now, as I said earlier, groups of Jewish people have returned from time to time to their land but the kind of worldwide regathering described by the prophets has never yet occurred. This is still yet in the future. So we see that the city will be rebuilt and we see that one day. The People Israel will be regathered but notice something else we see. Here in verse 8 and that is the relationship between Israel and her God will be restored. Look at it. What the Bible says here. In verse 8. He says I will bring them back. They can other people and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. So the city will be rebuilt. They shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness. So This Promise here, they will be, my people reminds us that God claim the people of Israel as his own. And we see when God delivered the when God delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage. He said to them, remember what he said, he said a bay my voice and do according to all that I command you. So show you be my people and I will be your God. But you see, for time God had abandoned, he turned his back on his people because they had abandoned him first. And matter fact. Look how Hosea says it Hosea. 1 9, how he says it. Then God said call his last name. Loami for you are not my people and I will not be your God. So says here, the nation of Israel was punished for her idolatry by being sent in the Babylonian captivity. And then she was punished for rejecting her massage and they were punished by being sent into a kind of this world wide dispersion of people all over the Jews, all over the world. But one day, God will summon his sons and daughters from afar from everywhere in the world. And the streets of a restore Jerusalem will be crowded with his people. This is way Zephaniah. That time I will give you that time. I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth. When I restore your fortunes before your very eyes. So we see here that the land will be restored. The people will be regathered the relationships between Israel and her God will be restored. And of course, the CD will be rebuilt. So that brings us to our fourth point for tonight. And that is the land of Israel will be refreshed. The land of Israel will be refreshing to see that in verses 9 through 13 in. The Bible says that says, the Lord of hosts, let your hands be strong. You who have been hearing in these days. These words by the mouth of the prophets who spoke in the day of the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord of hosts that the temple might be built. For before these days. There were no wages for, man, nor any hair for Beast. There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in for I said, all men everyone against his Neighbour. So you see how the Lord had punished them for their Disobedience, then verse lab, but now, I will not treat the remnant of this people. As in the former days says the Lord of hosts. For the seed, shall be prosperous. He says here the vine shall give its fruit. The ground should give her increase. Remember last week, we talked about how the ground it just, it was desolate. They couldn't plant anything. Nothing will come up. They couldn't do. No rain will come. They would have dropped. This was all part of God's. This one. The ground shall give her increase in Harvest. You give their do we talkin about the rain? I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these in verse 13. And it shall come to pass that. Just as you are a curse among the nation's old house of Judah and House of Israel, so I will save you and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear. Let your hands be strong. So the land of Israel is going to be refresh. Haggai had to rebuke the, the Jewish Remnant because the people weren't faithful to the Lord, in their, in their stewardship to him. If you remember, instead of honoring the Lord. By building his house. They built their own houses first and for this seeing God had discipline them and the weather turned bad and their crops failed in the the economy became worse and worse. You see, God wasn't being unkind to his people. He was only being true to his Covenant. But now the land would be refreshed by the Lord and the crops would grow abundantly and laborers would get their wages and their money would be sufficient to pay all their bills and the Lord would send promise rain to them and all the other nations would witness the blessing of the Lord, on his people. So instead he says here of the house and Israel being a curse. What they were going to be, they were going to be a witness to the glory of the Lord. Now while this promise hear of material blessing. Was given primarily to the remnant and Zacharias day. It has its application to the Future, regathered and restored nation, and he will do the same for them when he comes back. Matter fact, Isaiah looked ahead. And he saw it like this and this is what Isaiah said. It would be. Like, he said the Wilderness and the waste land shall be glad for them and the desert shall rejoice and Blossom as the rose. So even the desert and the thorns and thistles, they're going to Blossom as a rose because the Lord is going to bless his people. Now, when we start thinking about material blessings today, There's some things I believe that we need to keep in mind. First of all, we don't obey God, just to become wealthy. And secure, many times people can read this passage. They will, you know, something, if we just don't turn our back on God, man, we going to, we going to have all the money we want. We don't have all the big homes and houses and vacation homes and all the nice cars in all. All we just have to do is just kind of do what God says it. He's going to bless us. Well, we don't obey. God just become wealthy and secure with a guy because he is God, and he deserves our obedience. You see obedience builds character. And then when our character is what it ought to be, God can trust us with his blessings. And again, these material blessings. They aren't bribes and they're not rewards that they're God's way of saying you're maturing and godliness. Now I can give you more to use for my glory and then secondly, about material blessings. God doesn't always respond to our obedience with material blessings and not only that but even if you obey God if he doesn't respond with material blessings, obedience is not a sign that you going to be wealthy. Just as poverty, is not a sign that God has forsaken. His people just think of Joe the experience of Joe completely destroys this commercial idea of faith and obedience. You see job's friends. They had a commercial view of Faith. So they encourage JoJo confessed his sin. So God could again make him wealthy said all you need to do just confess your sins or something in your life. That's not right. Just confess your sin. And now God will make you wealthy again just like you were before that sounds like the prosperity preachers of today friends. Listen, you may not get material blessings from perfectly obeying God. And if you're in poverty, that's not Find that God has forsaken you and it's not a sign that his hand is against you. We can't go. We don't, we can't have this commercial view of fate and so bargain with God. They told Joe, but Joe brief used to do that though. He didn't understand what the Lord was working out in his sufferings. He still wouldn't get angry and accuse the Lord. So God's covenant with Israel declared that he would punish them physically and materially if they disobey him, but he would bless them if they would obey now. You say well, I'm going to go buy that cabinet today. Well, that's not the Covenant that we go by today. God's covenant with Israel is different. He has no such Covenant with Christian Believers today. If you obey me, I'll do this. If you don't buy blah, I'll do that. No, his promise is this. These are what his promises are. Look at Philippians 4 verse 19 and my God shall supply, all your need, according to his riches, in Glory by Christ Jesus. He promises to meet. Excuse me, all of our needs. Not only that he promises to direct our circumstances. Look what? Romans 8:28 says, all of, you know, this verse and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are the called, according to his purpose. So he promises to meet our needs. He promises to Super naturally direct their circumstances and what type of riches are we promised wealth? Look at it. And if he's has won three blessed, be the God, and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us with every watt, every bank account, know every car and home. No, good job. 401K. No, pretty wife. Handsome husband know. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places rent. We may be poor. We may not have exactly what we want. But if we obey God, and if we following him, if we follow a hard after him, he has promised to bless us with every spiritual blessing if God chooses to make some of his people wealthy. The reason he does that is so that they may use what he gives them to help others. One reason, probably why God doesn't make a lot of his wealthy is because he know we would hoard it and we would just keep it for ourselves. But those that He blesses with, well, he must know, he must know that they will use that to help others. He blesses us that we might be a blessing to others. However, Riches are no proof of God's special love nor is poverty evidence that he has forsaken. You, we have to get through and get by that teaching as well. Well, we have about two more points, but I'm going to save them for next Wednesday night. And I appreciate you being here and let's just clean to these promises of God. Some will be fulfilled when he comes back when he read gathers, his people at his second coming but this about material wealth and things like that. It can be fulfilled in our life today. Just because a person is Rich doesn't mean that God has his hand upon them simply and also simply because someone's poor doesn't mean that he's taking his hand off then we have to get by that Prosperity teaching Willis. Pray father. We do. Thank you and praise you and love you tonight. Lord, for your word, Lord. We thank you for these promises tonight that we have looked at in your word. Lord, we know that some of these promises are for your children of Israel for Judah. There. We know that some of them concerns them, but there's also principles that we can take and we can apply to our life as well. Lord. We thank you that the days are only going to get better. When we look at it long term. And when we see that one day that you're coming back and you're going to strike all the evil out of this world and you will reign in Justice and righteousness. Lord. We look forward to that day and until that day, help us everything we do. And say me and honor and black bring glory and me at magnify the name of your son. Jesus Christ, forcing his name. I do pray. Amen.