“Thus says the Lord of hosts; If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my charge, then you shall also judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you places to walk among these that stand by.”
First, if we do what God says, then we are GOD’S people indeed. In Zech 2, the Lord says, “Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord”, so that His word HAS CONSEQUENCES for people. If we believe, then we shall be saved, but we won’t be saved without faith in Christ.
I speak to people who say, “Don’t tell me what God says. I don’t want to hear. I know enough. I am saved.” But, I’d rather learn the truth than serve a lie, because God in His grace says, “If”, “then” (vs7). We shall be REWARDED if we obey, and there is no salvation without it.
Secondly, faith is obeying the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, receiving His love and truth (Rom 16:26). If you and I agree with God, confessing our sin and salvation, then He promises, “then you shall also judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you places to walk among these that stand by”. We will get victory, power, joy, peace, and every good thing that God has promised, obedience of conduct included, if we believe.
In Zech 3, we have five things that are believed, which will assuredly bring peace and power over sin.
1. We are sinners, and Satan, not a friend but an enemy, has deceived and accused us. He has not offered us a better way, but we stand, “clothed with filthy garments” because of the rebellion that he led and now accuses (Zech 3:1,3). One man said, “Sin says, Lie with me, and then it condemns us for the folly”.
2. We are chosen of God. We deserve destruction, but God says, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan; even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire (vs2)?” We obtained mercy freely. We didn’t seek God, clean up, or do anything that made Him notice us. In electing love, He chose to save us, while others, even the fallen angels who sinned, have done the same things, and die in God’s wrath. He had mercy because He would have mercy, and He picked us to be the “apple of his eye” (Zech 2:8).
3. We are redeemed. Christ says, “I have caused your iniquity to pass from you”, so that dying for us and sending the triumph of the Spirit, He reveals that He removed our sin at Calvary, and now purges the conscience with blood (vs4). We are FREE of the debt, because judgment will not strike us, if it smote Him.
4. We are righteous. He says again, “I will clothe you with change of raiment” (vs4). He doesn’t merely remove the evil, but He gives us COVERING before God, whereby we stand righteous by faith only. By faith, I’m free, pure, holy, and good before God, being FIT for every good thing (Rom 4:6-8).
5. We are conquerors – “And I said, Let them set a fair miter [crown] upon his head. So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments.” We are more than conquerors through His love, and He gives the Spirit, so that sin doesn’t reign within. Before, we couldn’t fight against our sins, and we didn’t know how to keep ourselves temperate. But now, being as weak and evil as possible in ourselves, having the obedience of Christ, the power of the Spirit, and the promises of God, we resist the devil, and he flees. Scripture says, “Submit yourselves to God”, believe the truth about yourself and Christ, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. Being cleansed - even while my sin is fresh, being helped, even when I should be forsaken - is the strength to conquer with God.
These things are written infallibly upon the heart, so that God’s elect, when taught of Him, cannot deny the obvious truth of scripture. He says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people (Heb 8:10).” Now, we live out the truth by the Spirit, being cleansed continually, confessing the Savior, and receiving fresh mercies from God. Every REST of the Spirit is God’s reviving to us, and He makes us believe for our good.
Thirdly, God’s people will be evidenced as such at the Great Day. They will show in that day who was true and who was false – “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day (II Thess 1:10).” Those that have served God, not matter what men say, shall be accepted. Those that disobey, no matter what men say, shall be damned.
Finally, if you will be saved, then believe. Don’t think that you’ll escape in unbelief – “But when Jesus heard it; he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole… And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat (Luke 9:50, 55).”
I speak to people who say, “Don’t tell me what God says. I don’t want to hear. I know enough. I am saved.” But, I’d rather learn the truth than serve a lie, because God in His grace says, “If”, “then” (vs7). We shall be REWARDED if we obey, and there is no salvation without it.
Secondly, faith is obeying the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, receiving His love and truth (Rom 16:26). If you and I agree with God, confessing our sin and salvation, then He promises, “then you shall also judge my house, and shall also keep my courts, and I will give you places to walk among these that stand by”. We will get victory, power, joy, peace, and every good thing that God has promised, obedience of conduct included, if we believe.
In Zech 3, we have five things that are believed, which will assuredly bring peace and power over sin.
1. We are sinners, and Satan, not a friend but an enemy, has deceived and accused us. He has not offered us a better way, but we stand, “clothed with filthy garments” because of the rebellion that he led and now accuses (Zech 3:1,3). One man said, “Sin says, Lie with me, and then it condemns us for the folly”.
2. We are chosen of God. We deserve destruction, but God says, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan; even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire (vs2)?” We obtained mercy freely. We didn’t seek God, clean up, or do anything that made Him notice us. In electing love, He chose to save us, while others, even the fallen angels who sinned, have done the same things, and die in God’s wrath. He had mercy because He would have mercy, and He picked us to be the “apple of his eye” (Zech 2:8).
3. We are redeemed. Christ says, “I have caused your iniquity to pass from you”, so that dying for us and sending the triumph of the Spirit, He reveals that He removed our sin at Calvary, and now purges the conscience with blood (vs4). We are FREE of the debt, because judgment will not strike us, if it smote Him.
4. We are righteous. He says again, “I will clothe you with change of raiment” (vs4). He doesn’t merely remove the evil, but He gives us COVERING before God, whereby we stand righteous by faith only. By faith, I’m free, pure, holy, and good before God, being FIT for every good thing (Rom 4:6-8).
5. We are conquerors – “And I said, Let them set a fair miter [crown] upon his head. So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments.” We are more than conquerors through His love, and He gives the Spirit, so that sin doesn’t reign within. Before, we couldn’t fight against our sins, and we didn’t know how to keep ourselves temperate. But now, being as weak and evil as possible in ourselves, having the obedience of Christ, the power of the Spirit, and the promises of God, we resist the devil, and he flees. Scripture says, “Submit yourselves to God”, believe the truth about yourself and Christ, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. Being cleansed - even while my sin is fresh, being helped, even when I should be forsaken - is the strength to conquer with God.
These things are written infallibly upon the heart, so that God’s elect, when taught of Him, cannot deny the obvious truth of scripture. He says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people (Heb 8:10).” Now, we live out the truth by the Spirit, being cleansed continually, confessing the Savior, and receiving fresh mercies from God. Every REST of the Spirit is God’s reviving to us, and He makes us believe for our good.
Thirdly, God’s people will be evidenced as such at the Great Day. They will show in that day who was true and who was false – “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day (II Thess 1:10).” Those that have served God, not matter what men say, shall be accepted. Those that disobey, no matter what men say, shall be damned.
Finally, if you will be saved, then believe. Don’t think that you’ll escape in unbelief – “But when Jesus heard it; he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole… And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat (Luke 9:50, 55).”
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