“Grace, Grace To It” (Zech 4-6)

 Salvation by grace: (Zech 4)

When grace comes to the church, then the enemies of sin and Satan are destroyed, and we are more than conquerors. In ourselves, we can do nothing, but in His power, sinners are saved, saints are encouraged, and we get the victory.  He says, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring for the capstone (the finished work) with the shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”(Zech 4:6-7)

It is NOT because of us, but God alone, and thus we look to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, to give us the Spirit that He has earned.  We pray, because we can’t save sinners ourselves! They are bound to sin, deceived by the devil, and there are NONE who fear God (Eph 2:1-4). Pray that He would bless your labors, and look to His power in the war against sin, and you shall win.

Salvation or damnation: (Zech 5)

If we don’t believe the gospel, then we shall be damned while others are blessed. It doesn’t matter that God is gracious, if you don’t receive that grace, for He is MORE than gracious: He also has wrath. We read, “Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every liar shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.  I will send out the curse,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘It shall enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it, with its timber and stones.” (Zech 5:1-4)

We have no choice, because God isn’t playing around.  I heard nearly 3 billion people were alive in the days of Noah, and I checked online, did calculations, and anywhere from several hundred million to 3-4 billion people existed at that time, and yet, only EIGHT were in the ark!  This means that God punishes multitudes for their sin, and He isn’t indifferent, saying, “It’s OK”.  Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:13-14).  Strive to enter in.  Ask God to change you, and make sure to believe the truth.  It is not enough to say, “I’m a Christian”, for many with bible in hand will perish.  We must BELIEVE and know the gospel of Christ’s glory, and we must LIVE by that gospel triumphantly by a power that He gives.

 Salvation by Jesus: (Zech 6)

Jesus builds the church by His blood and power, and He gets the GLORY because He does the work.  He says, “Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both (Zech 6:12-13).”  He is the King Priest, the One who RULES and brings us to God, sacrificing Himself for our sins, and presenting Himself for our salvation.

God is holy, and we cannot approach Him.  Scripture says of Christ, “who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power” (1 Tim 6:16). He is no little savior, or some small insignificant god.  He is not someone that you can approach on your own.  In His glory, He revealed Himself to Moses, but He hid him in the rock and then covered him with His hand, until He was almost out of sight, and then Moses fell down and worshiped (Ex 33-34).  He didn’t get friendly with God without a mediator, and neither will you. We approach His throne by what Jesus did for us, or we can’t draw near. And, He’s done SO MUCH that we can come boldly, trusting His blood to put away sins and His life to mediate blessings.  God deals with us BECAUSE of Him, and everyone that sees this, that knows that He did all of the work, you also know His glory in salvation. He saves whom He wills by putting away our sins, teaching us the gospel, and then bringing us to heaven’s bliss, absolutely and unfailingly (John 6:37-39). This isn’t dependent on man, but God predestined it and He brings it to pass entirely by Christ and what He did.   

Let me say finally, “Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God” (Zech 6:15). He is going to save His people, and you’ll have the joy of experiencing it, if you believe.  Receive by faith that this Branch has stretched out, unstoppably, and saved you.