Longing For The Presence Of God Pt. 2

All right, we're good evening. I'm good to see everyone. We're glad that you are here. Thank you, John for that. No, I didn't hear Pat about the shooting in California. What happened there?

Haha.

Killed. How many?

Oh my goodness. I didn't hear that happened today. Let me hear about that.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right. Yeah, they do.

No, you're right.

It is.

This. I brought it, that's what is coming to coming to Jesus?

It's just hard to believe, sometimes why?

I just I just don't know why anybody would want these like killer dogs like that at pets. I mean, I mean cuz I heard the one that and Andrew where they said, the guy had the ten-month-old was just in a room and he walked out and the dogs are in there with it and then all the sudden he heard him barking and snarling and everything he walked in and they already had the child. You know so well.

I just don't quite, you know, understand why people would want those maybe for protection or whatever, but you just have to be so careful if you have small children. But that's just this terrible, lot of things happening. Like he said in his prayer that a lot of crazy things but

Repeat that the last book of the Bible. We know how it's going to end, don't we? We know how it's going to end so that's right. We know who wins. We are on The Winning Side. So, all right. Well thank you for being here tonight and we're going to continue and Zakaria tonight. And we're going to look at the same verses that we looked at last week because we didn't finish what we started last week. I'm going to try to finish it tonight. And so what we'll do is we will just read our scripture is in Zechariah Chapter 2.

And we're going to read down through. First one down through verse 13, I believe. There's anybody who would like to read tonight. We can break it up in verses 1 through 5 and then someone else read verses 6 through 13. It would anybody like to re I don't want to fight? You'll read 6 through 13, you do verse 1 through 5 John, all right, go right ahead.

Alright David you go ahead and pick up there.

Alright, thank you. Okay, so Zakaria chapter 2 again, Zakaria received, 8 visions and we're on the third vision. And remember, we said the first Vision was longing for God's peace. Couple of weeks ago. The second Vision was longing for God's justice. Now, you remember, last week what we said about this Vision was longing for God's? What presents longing for God's presence? And we see that here and let me just kind of recap verses 1 through 5. And then tonight we going to get in to how Christ how Christ fulfills this promise. And I'm going to share with you something that's been kind of tearing away at me for about a year now. And the way that I want to read and study the Bible and I'm going to share some of that with you tonight as we look at how Christ fulfills if so the first 5 verses, we see the man with a measuring line and and the Lord says go and speak to this young man and he says, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as pound without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. So what he saying is I'm going to take something that's degrading which is a city Without Walls and I'm going to make something good out of it. And the reason it can't have walls is because of all the people that there and all the livestock and it's going to grow so much. That if you had walls you have time down Bill more walls. So he saying there's no need for walls and then verse 5, he says fry says, Lord will be a wall of fire all around her and I will be the glory in term. It's so now I know you've heard me say this before. But let's look at the Bible in the big picture. So the Bible in the big picture and you can answer these questions. There's one problem in the Bible and its what? Send there's one villain in the Bible and is who Satan? There's one hero in the Bible and it's who Jesus. And there's one purpose for the Bible in. That is the glory of God. It says here, the Lord says I'm going to be a wall of fire all around her and I will be the glory in her midst. All right, so when we look at that, we see that the Lord is coming back. Remember Jerusalem, Judah had been in captivity for 70 years. They had come back. They started to build a wall in the temple and then they just got frustrated and they're just, they're just hopeless right now. Nothing is going, right? And all of a sudden Zakaria the Lord gives him these visions and heat. The first one says, okay, one day there's going to be peace on Earth not only Jerusalem and Judea going to grow now. But one day, there's going to be peace all over this Earth. Of course, I was talking about the second coming. Remember prophecy has a short-term fulfillment, and also a long-term. Then he said last week, well, there's going to be just as I'm going to judge the nation's. So all these things that we see going wrong, when you see natural disasters, When you see children died because of animals. When you see death, when you see murder, when you see corruption one day, God is going to set that right now. He's telling the people here that you're going to grow and I'm going to bless you. I'm going to come and I'm going to bless Judah and Jerusalem. Again, I'm returning to you. That was short term for film but we also know that when Jesus comes back he's going to set everything. Right? What is this world coming to is coming to Jesus and he's going to set it, right? So we long for the justice of God, we long for the peace of God but now we long for the presence of God. So he says, I'm you don't need a while. I'm going to be your wall of fire around you and other words. No, man-made wall, anything like that, can help what you need is my presents. You need God, you need me to be with you. And then when you rebuild the Temple, don't worry about the walls. Just start on the temple. I'll protect you while you're doing that, and that's what we need today. As well. We need God present. In our life. You say, buddy, he's not here. He's not here, he's in heaven. Jesus is not even here, he's in heaven. So is that the reason all this stuff is happening on earth now is because God is not present where we'll talk more about that here in just a moment. And then in verses 6 through 13 that's where we pick up the presence of God. Verse 5 says, I'm going to be a wall of fire around her. I'll be the glory and her mist. And then look at he he said he tells them to escape from Babylon. All you the still living there? Come back home. I'm getting ready to drop the hammer. I'm getting ready to go after Babylon, so you come back and then inverse 10. He says bahat, for behold, I am coming. I will dwell in your miss that word dwell. Is the word in the New Testament, that means tent. Or to Tabernacle, don't remember the Book of John. It said Jesus came to this earth and he tabernacled with us. He set up his tent with us. He put his stakes in the ground during the Incarnation. What verse 10 says, I will dwell in your midst. And then look at verse 11, many nations that's not, that's talkin more than Judah and Jerusalem is talkin about all the nations. And remembering John and Revelation said he looked and behold. Every tongue of every nation was praising. The Lord in heaven. I want you to think of something when John saw that vision, He saw what is still yet future? He saw Every Nation every tongue. Praising God. And when he saw that, that's something that is yet to happen. Just think when John saw that. He could have seen you standing there. Because he is still future. He could have seen. Us as Christian standing there, praising God, even though it was written two thousand years ago, he could have seen. He, what he saw was all Christians of all time, The Universal Church praising God, and we're part of that. So, just think of that, well, many nations were going to join him. He says, they will become my people. Not just Jews are God's people Gentiles. Also, those who trust in Christ, we have become his people and he says, again, I will dwell in your midst, then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you now. So let me explain what I was talking about the way I like to read the Bible. So the Lord has convicted me in the last year, or so,

that when I preached out of the Old Testament, I need to preach Jesus out of the Old Testament. Now, like many preachers, I've often thought, well I don't want to get into allegory. I don't want to find Jesus under every Rock and under at behind every tree and just make up these things. Like I've heard some preachers preach. Before that the cross the wooden cross stands for gopher wood. It was made out of gopher wood. Why is that? Well because it stands for the resurrection and Gophers are under the ground and so they come up Well that that's not the way you did. The trans translate or interpret the Bible, but Jesus did say That I did not come to abolish the law, I came to fulfill it. Now, wind, what were the scriptures that Jesus studied? It was the Old Testament because the New Testament had not been written. So, all the in Jesus's time, the people studied the Old Testament when Jesus was walking on the road, and we spoke about this Sunday with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. What we didn't see is it said that he opened the word of God and he taught them out of the book of Moses, the law, and the writings what he's talking about is the first five books of the Bible book of Moses, the law hits tree, and the writings, or which would be the Psalms And he taught, Jesus, out of those. so, when we hear that, we have to understand that when we read the Old Testament, That we have to see Jesus because he fulfills everything that the Old Testament was standing for everything. Even the Ten Commandments when you read a Ten Commandment, Thou shalt not commit adultery. How does Jesus for feel that? Well, he didn't commit adultery, not only that he took it a step further, he said, if you look on a woman in lust, after you've already committed adultery, he took it a step further than what the commandant said, cuz the commandant was talking about physical adultery. Jesus was talking about, not only physical, but mental, as well. So Jesus fulfilled, the entire Old Testament. So what we want to do and I'll try to make this brief is when we read an Old Testament scripture. What we want to do is we want to understand this Old Testament, scripture in the Old Testament context. Now, that's exactly what we've done here last week when we looked at this scripture and we said, this is, this is a prophecy and we said this is to encourage the people and we looked and we found the theme of God's presence, not only his presents with them at that time. But we also said, this has an eschatological theme to it in that in the end days. God's presence going to be all over this Earth. He's going to build a wall around this Earth of fire and he's going to be in the Mist. That's what we call Heaven. So we see that it has a short-term for film and a long-term for filming. So what we did last week is we took out of this text, we studied it and we took out exactly what the Old Testament meaning was and what the mistakes that I've made. And maybe many other preachers is that as soon as we find out what we think that this means to the Old Testament, the very next thing we do is say okay, to me and we try to apply it to our own lives. Well, that's what we should do, but we're leaving out an important step. And that staff is, how does Jesus for fill this thing for feel this teaching? If we don't teach and preach how Jesus fulfilled. This since he does for Phil Old Testament says, he is the hero of the Bible. If we don't talk about that, what we're doing is not a Christian sermon. Now I may be able to give you good biblical principles. I can give you good practical application and I can give you a theological themes and all that is good. And I've done all that at some point in time, but if I leave out Jesus, I have been faithful to the text but I have been unfaithful to Jesus. And when we preach and Don't Preach how Jesus fulfills it, where unfaithful to him, and we're unfaithful to the people that's listening to us. Those of us who teach and preach, because the entire Bible, Jesus says, I didn't come to abolish it. I came to fulfill it and he says the Old Testament scripture. He said they all talk about me. And he says not one jot or tittle will be laughing plus a jot or tittle. It's the little accent mark above a word that gives it the accent. He said all of that he even that will come true. So if that's the case, when we study the Old Testament, We need to find the Old Testament. Contact understand what it is, but don't move straight. What? How does this apply to me? Then we need to go to. How does Jesus, for feel what we're talkin about this theme or this teaching? How does he do it? Well, that's what I want to do tonight. What we just read Zacharia 2:1 through 13 and we're going to talk about the presence of God. How did Jesus for feel what we just read in verses 10 through 13 about God's presence? How did he for feel that? Well, the vision of the man with a measuring line Again is saturated with the teaching that once again God is going to be present with his people. We remember he said that he had forsaken his people, he had give them over to Babylon and three times here in our text versus V 1011. He says, I will dwell In their midst. In other words, he has promised to dwell among them. I meant that he would change the people from being Forsaken and abandon to welcomed and empowered. He would change the city from just being a pitiful mess, the song, Glorious. He would change the entire Community from being vulnerable because they didn't have a wall didn't have a temple to being protected. He said, I'll be the fire around you. He says, and I will protect you. He would change the nation from just being a dump Baron to prosperity. He's going to change. Judah from being just irrelevant to significant. Don't miss this. And other words God had declared That he was going to change the world by entering in the world. I think about that. He says, I'm going to change the world by entering in the world. When was that promise kept? Who, that's exactly right the Incarnation of Jesus, his son, they was at that time. That God truly came to be present among his people, when Mary found out, she was going to be pressed pregnant with from the Holy Spirit. The massage name, the Bible says is going to be a manual which means god with us. God With Us, God is going to be present with us in him. God's glory entered, the world. Now, John chapter 1 in verse 14. Could someone turn to that and read that Force? Could you do that John 1 and verse 14? And John you stay right there and Zachariah. And after he reads 114, I want you to read Zacharia 250k. John 1:14. We talked about God's glory entering the world.

All right. He said, and he was made flesh and did what he dwelt. Remember that name? Remember that word and Zac Rodriguez? I cry to 5.

This is just our spot.

Are you see how all that lines up right there? He was made, flesh. He come to dwell Among Us only begotten of the father and his glory, and then he says his act, right? And I remember exactly where I was written, 500 years before Jesus was born. So we we see this here. Even a jealous King Herod. When he tried to kill all the male children. What happened to Baby, Jesus? He survived, he survive. He could not be touched. You see the presence of God among his people cannot be thwarted. You cannot do that. Just like Zacharias Vision in. So Jesus was the embodiment of God's glorious presence. Now, I'm going to read a couple of verses here to you. You don't have to turn here. Darien Isaiah listen to Isaiah 26 one in that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah. We have a strong City God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks for wall of fire. Wall around you that probably represents our salvation and then Isaiah 16:19 says list, the sun shall no longer be your light by day nor for brightness show. The moon give light to you but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light and your God, Your Glory. You see again that's pointing to the Book of Revelation where you don't need a sunlight. You don't need the moon, the gates are going to be open all the time because God is going to be the light. Isaiah said that a thousand years before Jesus ever came to this earth. So just think about this. Well, Jesus was the embodiment of God's glory in the person of Jesus God took himself on human flesh. He walked Among Us, he lived beside us, he suffered with us, and he suffered for us. That's what Jesus did. And when the time was right, Jesus dropped his defenses and he allowed the the assaults to come on in the allowed himself to be captured, he allowed himself to be crucified and he said that he was the true Temple. The true Dwelling Place of God on Earth. Now, I'm going to go over here to John Chapter 2, and I want you to listen to this, John Chapter 2, and I want to read vs 19. 222.

This is what the Bible says. Jesus answered and said to them, destroy this Temple and in three days, I will raise it up. What was he, his body is the temple. See, he's the temple. He said, you destroy this temple in 3 days. Alright, let's listen to what the leader said. Then the Jews said it's taken 46 years to build this Temple, and you going to raise it up in three days, you see how this crazy they were Does they didn't understand what he was talking about. I bet he thought he was dealing with three stooges. He probably called him old Larry and Curly because they said she has 46 years to build this Temple, and you going to raise it up in three day and he was speaking of the Temple of his body and see, they did not even understand that, but his point was well taken that he was going to be the focus of God's indwelling presence on Earth. The Jerusalem Temple was not anymore. He was so he was the means through which God's kingdom was going to come not some political empowered Kingdom. He was the source of renewal. If you will, well what happened with all the chief priests and the scribes. And the teachers of the law of the leaders. They begin doing while plotting to kill it. We going to kill this man. he just speaking Blasphemous thing and They carried out their plans, he allowed himself to be bound dragged into Exile but a lot further than Babylon and Sumeria or Assyria He was dragged to Calvary, maybe a shorter walk, but still a lonely place to be. No matter fact. It was so lonely. Remember what he said? My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me? Remember God had forsaken, his I want to forsake Duda but he comes back to them in Jesus on the cross. At my God, my God. You have, why have you forsaken me? But then we had the resurrection, and the presence of God was renewed among all the people. And when the resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples in Galilee, What was some of the last words that he said? He said go out to all the Earth baptizing teaching in the name of the father Son and Holy Spirit and low. I am hot with you always his presence. So now we come to this. But he's not with us. He's in heaven after the resurrection, he roamed around on the earth, white 40 days, but after that, he ascended in the cloud to heaven. So he's not with us. How is he still with, what did he say in the Book of John, that he was going to do? He says, I hate he says I've got to go, but don't worry. If I go, I'm going to send the comforter, another the holy spirit. So Jesus presents left Earth, but he sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of all believers. So inside of you tonight, if you're saved you have the Holy Spirit who is just as much God as the father and just as much, God as Jesus was you have God living on the inside of you you his presence is in you on you and upon you. So through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Christian men and women inkarnate, God's presence in the world. In other words, we're like ambassador. For God on his behalf and we are to transform this world. As the Holy Spirit Works in and through us, we can transform this world with the message of the Gospel. That's the presence of God that people see is in US. That's what people see, they're not going to see a physical presence of Jesus, he's in heaven, but they can see God. They can see him through the church as a community. We are to give the world a foretaste of what's coming. And what's coming? God's presence is going to come back to this Earth. So and it reaches is for filming. When Jesus does come back and what makes the old creation, you is that the new creation or the old creation is filled with God's presence. That's what makes it new is filled with God's presence and in Revelation, we're promised of such a day as that. So if you have your Bible, turn the Revelation chapter 21, Revelation chapter 21 in. Let's look at this.

Revelation, 21 and will just start in verse 1. And will read down through verse five and this is what the Bible says. This is John speaking. I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven, and the first Earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven, from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from Heaven. Saying, behold there's that word. The Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them just like Zacharias, say it and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. This is the ultimate presence of God With Us. Now watch what he says in verse for a God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. That shall be no more death sorrow, nor crying that should be no more pain. For the former things are passed away. Then he who said, on the throne said, behold I make all things new. He said to me, right? For these words are true and faithful. He makes everything new in his new because of his presence. And on that day, they'll be no need for temple. Because the Lord God, the lamb will be its pimple. Well, just like Zacharia said, would happen nations are going to gather and the glory and honor them will be brought into it. And God is going to be in her mist and shine brightly. And it says that the Gates of Heaven Will perpetually be left. Open. No, evil in heaven because of God's presence. Now, What would it mean for the church if you want to think of it like this? To embody for the world, the presence of God in her mist and other words, how can we embody that? How can we point the world to the destiny? That is coming to? What would it mean for us as individuals to Incarnate the presence of God to those around us? Well, I wrote this quote now and I found this this week study and interior light is a Bible commentator, and this is what he said and I listen to this He said we need Christian people to work as healers as healing judges, and prison staff as healing teachers, and administrators as healing shopkeepers and bankers as healing musicians and artists as healing Riders and scientists as healing. Diplomats and politicians. We need people who will hold onto Christ firmly with one hand and reach out with the other with the steel and chill, furnace cheerfulness, and compassion and sorrow. And tenderness to the places where our world is in pain. We need people who will use all their god-given skill to analyze where things have gone wrong to come to the place of pain and to hold over the wound. The only medicine which were really healed which is the love of Christ made incarnate. Once more The Strange Love of God turned into your flesh and mind your smile in mine, your tears in mine, your Joys, and mine. That's what we need. That's what the world needs to see in God had promised to Zachariah that he would change the world by entering in it. In his promise still hasn't changed. He started changing the world when he came here in the person of Jesus and he will transform this world permanently. When the New Jerusalem descends and this holds creation is soaked in God's presence but how does he enter our world today? Well, he does it through the Holy Spirit and through the church he enters through his followers. Like us who make Christ inkarnate, once more through Christians, he transformed the world and friends that's when we will see God's glory. And it's all because of God's presence in his presence is in Us, in the person of the Holy Spirit, that's what Zachariah is all about. That's how you take an Old Testament context and then see how Jesus fulfills it and then you apply to our life and stay with God's presence in me, I'm going to show this world what this Destiny what their Destiny is coming to. And we lived out out through the holy spirit in our life. Amen. That's what you do. Let's pray. Father, we thank and praise you. Love you tonight for your word. Lord. We thank you that we could read these Old Testament passages that we can find our hero Jesus and Lord, help me to, to be a good interpreter of your word. And Lord is I teach these dear people here. Lord, just help me to always make Jesus preeminent. Lord, I'm not going to use allegory. I'm not going to push it to where I shouldn't go. The little we know that you said that you came to fulfill the law and that all the Old Testament scriptures were written about you. Lord help us. When we read the Old Testament to find Jesus, And help us to serve him and help us to love him. The way that you loved us. Forcing Christ name, I do pray. Amen.

Oh, I was going to take about a book. I got this help me this week, thinking about this. This is the book, I ordered your Old Testament. Sermon needs to get saved, and what he's talkin about is