Longing For The Righteousness Of God ; Zechariah 3:1-10 06/02/21

Zechariah Chapter 3. And now, remember so far we've talked about in the first chapter longing, for the peace of God, when he saw the all the horsemen and all that in the Myrtle Grove. And then after that, we talked about longing for the justice of God, when he saw the in chapter 2,

Let's look at it again. I think it was chapter two Lord will come vision. Of the horses that was chapter 1. And then chapter 2, the Lord will Comfort Zion Vision. Remember the vision of the horns and and then the for Craftsman or Carpenter the Bible says, well that was talking about how God's going to come back and he's going to make everything right both in the short-term and long-term. And then we talked about longing for the presence of God last time. When the Lord said that Jerusalem, Judah, would be like a city Without Walls. And he said, I will be in their midst. And so one day we talk about the Lord's, going to come back and he's going to be present with all of us and we're going to be with him as well. So today we come to the fourth vision. And then starts in chapter 3. So I'm going to read the first 10 verses and I want to ask you what are the people? What will they be longing for? First was the presents, then the Justice or first was the Peace, then Justice than the presents. And let's look at this tonight. Then he showed me, Joshua, the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. And Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan the Lord rebuke you Satan. The Lord who has chosen, Jerusalem rebuke you, is this not a brand plucked from the fire Now, Joshua was clothed with, filthy garments and was standing before the angel. Then he answered and spoke to those who stood before him say no, this is the Angel talkin. Take away the filthy garments from Hillman to him. He said see I have removed your iniquity from you and I will clothe you with Rich robes. And I said this would be Zakaria. Let them put a clean turban on his head. so they put a clean turban on his head and they put the clothes on him, and the angel of the Lord, which is probably Jesus stood by their 6, then the angel of the Lord, admonished Joshua saying that says the Lord of hosts, If you will walk in my ways and if you will keep my command, then you should also judge my house and likewise have charge over my courts. I will give you places to walk among these who stand here. Hero Josh will the high priest you and your companions. The people that he serves, who sit before you for they are a Wonder sign. For behold, I'm bringing forth my servant the branch. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua. Upon the stone are seven eyes. And that right there could actually the way that is worded. It could be Seven pairs of Oz so that would be 14. Behold. I will engrave is inscription says, Lord of hosts. And I will remove the iniquity of that land. And one day, In that day, says, the Lord of hosts. Everyone will invite his neighbor under his Vine and under his fig tree. Well, there's a lot there and it seems like most of it's a little confusing.

But by reading that, what do you think this is about?

Lord's, peace. Lord's. Justice. The Lord's presence. What is this about?

Lord's return that back. It could be. What was that again? The Lord of body. Okay, that's good. That's good. It can be that. Absolutely

Prophet. Okay, it's about the branch. The branch is Jesus. You know, that that was his name in scripture, the branch, he says, how does he say it here in versa? What verse is it? He says I'm bringing forth my servant to watch the branch.

Alright, so it could be about the Lord coming back. well he says I'm going to bring forth my servant the branch so that would kind of be talkin about When Jesus was born. But he says in that day, everyone invite his neighbor under his Vine and under his victory will that day is when there's peace overall there. So that would be the second coming. Anybody else have any ideas? What you think this is about?

Well, I want to call your attention.

To who, who does it say that Joshua was, he was the Wop first one. High priest, these preacher. He represents the people. Verse one also says that Satan was standing at his right hand to oppose him. Satan in this scripture, never says a word.

He doesn't he standing there to oppose them, but the Bible doesn't say what he opposed him about. But it doesn't have to say what he posed opposing about because we know exactly what it is because of Earth's three. Joshua, the high priest, the preacher. Was closed with what? Filthy garments.

The preacher now, had filthy garments. Symbolizing, not only his sin with the sin of the people.

And the Lord says, take away the filthy garments.

And clothed him with Rich robes.

Take away his sin.

Because of the blood of Jesus and clothed him with the righteousness. Of Christ longing for the righteousness of God. This is all about salvation. Saving not only Joshua, the high priest, but the people and all those who believe in Christ will one day. Will one day invite his neighbor under his Vine and under his fig tree? Because all of us. We're all like a brand plucked from the fire. That it says in verse for John Wesley, I know many of you heard of him. He never forgot a terrible night of his childhood when he was six years old, he woke up and his family home is on fire. And he was kind of like not a second store window, but second story, but you couldn't reach him from the ground and he woke up and there was Smoke everywhere and he said, he looked out and he saw a lot of people standing in the yard and everyone had been dragged from the building, but in an oversight, he was the only one left in the house and he just knew that he was going to burn. And then at the last moment, he said a neighbor climbed on the shoulders of another neighbor and pulled him out of the window. Right before the walls, Came Crashing Down.

Well, he never forgot that day and every time he would find someone's Bible or write his name, he would always put out beside it. Zachary chapter 3 and verse for Zechariah Chapter 3 and verse to where it says, is this not a brand plucked from the fire? So, literally speaking, he had an experience where he was safe from fire. But all of us, spiritually, who know Christ? We've all been rescued from the fires of Hell. We've all been plucked a brand that we're brand me. And you could say, a stick, a stick plucked out of the fire. This is what God says about Israel. He says you almost got destroyed and I was going to the store you. But no, I'm coming back. I'm going to show you grace, and mercy, you're like a brand plucked out of the fire. Well, we could all say that we are all that way. Well, we already kind of went over the, the three other Vision. So let's just jump into this one right quickly here. The vision opens here, if you will like a Divine courtroom. All of those Divine Council was in attendance and Joshua. The high priest is on trial now who's playing the part of the accuser or the prosecutor is Satan. He's playing the park and he's standing. The Bible says, it's Joshua's right side and Joshua's defense is the Angel of the Lord. He's kind of the defense lawyer, if you will. And the dialogue begins with the Lord, rebuking Satan, not Satan's opposition, but we already kind of know. What is opposition was anyway,

He had come to lay blame on Jerusalem and more specifically Josh with a high priest. And these accusations that Satan had apparently We're not that they were not lies, they were true. Why? Because Joshua was dressed in what type of garment filthy High priest, never had filthy garments. I can tell you that now before he ever went in before the Lord into confess sins of his own and his family and the nation on the day of atonement, he had to wash and he had to put on clean white robe, but here is the priest standing, it says in filthy garments image of Scandal. And like I said, every day on the day of atonement, he would come in, and he would represent the people and he would put on these clean linen and all. And then he would go before the Lord, who, what course was the mediator? So for Joshua to be dressed in filthy clothes, it was just a grave, grave situation. I want you to see how grave this is. Matter fact, it's so bad. I looked this up yesterday. The Hebrew word for filthy. Comes from a root word. That means human waste. So he was standing there. Think of it like this with human waste, all over it. Filthy garments. And what does Joshua say in this whole deal? He's the one being accused, he and his people, he's being a pose in a q's. And what does Joshua say throughout the whole 10 versus not a single word? He didn't say a single word. Why? Because he had nothing to say in the reason you had nothing to say was because he was sinful And so were the people sinful and they were all unworthy. And when we stand before the Lord, what are we going to say? Nothing. We'll say nothing. So Joshua stood, before the Lord, as a representative of Israel, the people he had called to be a holy nation. He wore these filthy clothes, not because it was just hit send but because the people had send and where unclean, if I, if not, they wouldn't been in Babylon for 70 years. So the emphasis here is not on Joshua, the individual, but the nation collectively for being sinful and it says, God had plucked. And chosen Jerusalem and plot the Jews out of the fire of Babylonian captivity.

So the priests were commanded to keep clean at all time. Matter fact, if you go to Exodus, if a priest was found to be unclean, it was death. He wants to die all of a sudden, here's Josh with a high priest standing here wearing filthy garments what an embarrassment that would be. So it's up here, describe this courtroom scene Joshua the defendant God is the judge Satan is a prosecuting attorney in Jesus Christ is the defense attorney because he's the advocate for as always he not he's the defense attorney. Now the word for Satan means adversary He always resist God's people in God's work. And remember Satan has access to the throne of God. Just remember the Book of Job. He come to God and ask him if he's about your servant, go. He said, you let me put my hands on him, he'll curse you So Satan can't do anything to you or to me. Unless God says, okay. Whatever you go through, it has to go through the Throne of God. First Satan cannot act on his own will. Now, let me read a verse for you here.

You see in Revelation, you don't have to turn their its Revelation chapter. When I wrote it down Revelation 12 I think it is revelation 12 in verse 10. Listen what the Bible says here. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now, salvation, and strengthened the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come for the accuser of our Brethren, who accused them before, our God day and night has been cast down. That's who he is. He's do Chooser of the Brethren and it says that he accuses us Christian people before God day and night. That's exactly right. God bless John said that, John said, he's the father of Lies, but let me tell you something about Satan.

When Satan talks to you about God, he always lies. When he talked to you about God, he whisper in your ear and you can't trust it. So what he did with Adam and Eve, God, surely say that surely God wouldn't do that. God must not care about you if he would allow you to go through this and now he won't do anything about it. And you continue in it. You have financial trouble, you have relationship trouble. If God really loves you, you would not be going through what you're going in. That's what he will say to you. Now, we all know that. That is a lie. God is good, God is gracious. God is merciful and anything. He puts us in whatever Temptation that maybe he always provides a way of Escape always, God is good. Every time Satan will whisper in your ear and talk about God. He will always tell you lies but listen to this. Every time Satan talks to God about you, he will always tell the truth. Always you say, well what would Satan? Say the god about me.

That your faithless. That you don't trust him. That you are Center. That you fail so often more than you succeed. That you live your life and unbelief that you don't trust God, that you don't pray the way you ought to that. You don't go to church the way you ought to you. Don't love God with all your heart. Mind and soul, you don't love others. He tells God that you're selfish. He tells him that you're dirty with sin. And what do we say to that? When we're standing there and Satan, accuses us of that before? God. What do we say? The same thing, Joshua did nothing. We drop her head because we know that is true. Every time Satan talk to you about God, he will lie. But every time he talks to God about you, he will always tell the truth. So we stand before, God in our filthy garments and Satan this all of a sudden lack of trust unbelief, no faith, no prayer, no love. All we can do is drop our heads. But thank God, that God knows that. And when we stand there, we're not standing in our own filthy garments. We're standing there in the righteousness of Christ. Those of us who have trusted in him. So when God looks at us, he doesn't see our feel. He doesn't see our unbelief and seeing he sees the righteousness of his son. And he looks at Satan, says Satan. Don't worry about that. Because, Mike my servant John David, Miss Elsie, Lewis, and Patsy, and Keith, and Vicki, and Martha. My servants. They've been covered by the blood of Christ. When I look at them, I see Perfection. I don't see their sin. This is what this story is All About. I'm going to take your filthy garments away and I'm on a closed. You in Rich roads. So if you're safe tonight, you're wearing Rich roads, you still fail, you still seeing, but that's why Christ died on the cross to forgive you of that. That's exactly why. So God spoke these words to say and he said Satan, the Lord will be with you. I don't want to hear these accusations even though they're true, I don't want to hear them. The Lord has chosen Jerusalem. Look at all the things in the first 5 versus. It's talking about election here. He says the Lord has chosen Jerusalem. See? We don't choose God, he chooses us. He chooses us. If we are saying this because he has elected us to be safe. He says, rebuke you. It is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire will that's what he could say to all of us bikes, just like a Brand's been plucked from the fire just about to go down just about to burn and all the sudden he trusts Christ in Christ. Plucks them out of the fire. Save me right there at the last moment you see. This is what he can say, for all of us. So Joshua's filthy clothes were taking away a rich road was put on him in a turban. As the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord, notice he defends Joshua here with kind of this declaration of the power to redeem, take away, the filthy garments, he said and then he says the Josh see I have removed your iniquity from you. He says Joshua. Now what did you do? Did you earn that? Josh, Josh didn't end up staying there with his head down? He did nothing. He couldn't save. This is not really filthy. Yes, it is. Stating this telling the truth every time Satan talks to God about you. He tells the truth every time he talks to you about God, he lies that's just the way that it is. Well, this brand plucked from a fire actually come from anus for 11. You can read more about that. When it's talk about Judah before, God is going to destroy him, he kind of relented. So the people probably thought everything's lost in the house. The high priest is filthy? We're filthy, it's just too late for us. I mean, we're just so guilty and we're guilt-ridden and it's the truth. Well, God was plucking. Josh, when the people out of the fire, and he was going to restore them, and he was going to show them, mercy, and Grace. And that's what the gospel is all about these. These garments hear about the high priest, nephew, go to Exodus 28, there's four items. It was an ephod, a breast piece of special Road and a turbine in on the turbine. It was a gold plate in Gray right across the high priest Ford that says holy to the Lord as he was representing the people. So therefore, the replacement of Joshua's filthy clothes with all the clean. What? That symbolizes is the removal of guilt. He's no longer guilty. He declares Joshua justify not guilty. Not based on what Joshua Donny, and he had filthy clothes on, because it was not about Joshua is righteousness, it's about the righteousness of Christ, that's how God sees us. So the removal deal, both his and the people. And then he gave a word of insurance to Joshua. He said, see Joshua, I have taken away your sin. When we know that our sins are forgiven today and not, right? 1st John 1:9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to do what to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The god in his grace, he goes beyond forgiveness. He not only forgives us but he gives us more clothes. He has of Christ's robe of righteousness. He says, I'm going to put Rich garments on you when Adam and Eve seeing, what did they try to do? They tried to hide their guilt undergarments that they made themselves, like, fig leaves, but what did God do? He killed an animal and gave them animal skins. He had to kill an animal to give them animal skins. What does that mean? That was out for God to forgive sin. There must be the shedding of blood. For God to forgive your Stan. Jesus Christ had to die on Calvin. He had to shed his blood. That's what it was all about. Listen to what Isaiah 61:10 says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God for he has clothed me with the garments of Salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. That's what Isaiah said, and Isaiah 64:6. All of us have become like one, who is unclean all of our ratchet of righteous acts are as filthy rags. And what was what was Joshua wearing filthy garment? Because he was standing there in his own righteousness and Satan told the truth when he accused him, everything he said was the truth. So jokes that are put on righteousness as my clothing Justice as my road. So here's the question posed by this vision. Are we close in Christ's righteousness and are we therefore fit to stand before God or we still closed in our own? Filthy Robes of our own righteousness which makes which makes us unfit and eventually condemned by God. That's what this is all about right here. These first 5 versus here. Now I want you to look at verse 6 and 7 and then we will close and will pick up verses 8 through 10 next week. Look at versus six and seven. so after they put the clean Rogues on him, it says, then the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua saying that says the Lord of hosts, if you will walk in my ways and if you will keep my command, then you should also judge my house and likewise have charge of my courts. I will give you places to walk among these who stand here. So the story of the justification of Joshua does not stop with the changing of the clothing. All the sudden, the Lord give Joshua a charge.

It kind of brings to mind what Jesus did during his Earthly days. So we're kind of now we're going to start putting Jesus in here. Next week will look more fully of how Jesus fulfills this Vision here, but I want to talk about something that Jesus did. So I want you to take your Bibles and I want you to turn to John chapter 8. John chapter 8.

John chapter 8. And I want you to look now, here's don't. Here's what I want you to know this before we read this story. The Lord forgave.

Joshua. Before he called him to do something. I want you to remember that the first step was forgiveness and salvation, then he says, if you'll walk in my ways, I'll give you charge for my quartz and all. All right, let's look at the store. John chapter 8 verse 1. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives early in the morning, he came again to the temple and all the people came to him and he set down and talk them. In the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery. It when they had set her in the mix, they said to him teacher. This woman was caught in adultery and what's the next Friday? Say in the very act so this is not hearsay, this is not well, my cousin's brother told me know, this woman was caught in the very Act of it. Brush fire. Now this, this is what they say that. Jesus, this woman was caught in the act. Now, Moses in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. What do you say? Well, the consequences of adultery, what's knowing you will call the special fuel call back. You going to get stone the man and the woman. What they say. But what do you say? This they said, testing him that they may have something of which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not here. So, when they continued asking him, he raised himself up and said to them. He who is without sin among you let him throw a stone at her. First, let him cast the first stone. He that is without sin. And again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground, then those who heard it being convicted, by their conscience. In other words, we are we're Sinners to, we're centers to rent one. When out one-by-one, beginning with the oldest, even to the last and Jesus was left alone in the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus has raised himself up and saw no one, but the woman he said to her woman, Where are those accuser's of yours? Has no one condemned you. She said no one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, I watch neither. Do I condemn you. And other words right there. He saved her and forgave her. He says, neither do I condemn? You? And then he says, just like he did Joshua go and sin, no more. Well, everyone knew that the ministry of Jesus had been marked by compassion. And so all these religious leaders come up to him and say look Jesus. This woman was caught in the act of adultery.

Don't you think we should Stoner? Shouldn't we tell her? I mean, that's what the law of Moses said. So, what they were saying, the Jesus is Jesus. Your ministry has been marked by compassion. You going to give this woman? If you forgive her, then you're not following the law of Moses. But if he didn't forgive her, what would they say? You are you see they were trying to catch him there? Well it was a problem of all problems. How can the love of God in the Justice of God? Be harmonized basically what they were asking. Well Jesus said well, Let's Stoner then. And whoever is without sin, Let Him cast the first stone. Well, they were convicted, the Bible says, and one by one, they left and Jesus forgave her. He was doing precisely that with Joshua. In other words just like ccloud Joshua, with a row of Rich robe of righteousness. He just closed this woman who was caught in adultery in the robe of righteousness. He says, anyone can damn you. She said no one Lord, he says, neither do I And then he says, go and sin no more. What did he tell? Joshua after he cloaked see? I've taken your sin away. If you will walk in my ways, I'll give you charge over my court. He saved him. He forgave him first and then he gave him a charge of what to do. Aren't you? Glad that's the order that it is? He didn't tell the woman, all right? Leave your life of sin. And if you go for 2 months and don't sleep with another man, I'll forgive you. He didn't say, you know, something lady, I'm going to put you on two-year probation. I'm going to watch you for two years. And if you do, okay, then I'll forgive you. He didn't say that. He doesn't tell you, when you going to get say, he didn't say John, what you need to do now is you need to clean up your life first. And after you show me that you're serious about this, I'll save you. That's not what he does. He doesn't ask you to turn over a new Leaf. He didn't ask you what? Let's see if you'll start going to church, then I will save you. That's not what he does. He's sissy, I taken your sin way we come to him, just as we are, no matter how bad we been, no matter what we've done, we come to him and immediately he forgives us and saves us and then he charges us to go out and do his bidding. It not great. What do we do with children, when they disobey well? It's going to take awhile for you to earn my trust. I'm going to ground you for a month, but if you, if you do well, I'll forgive you and you can have your car back and you can do this. That's what we are. We always say, we give him a probation or give him a pair of the time. I'm going to watch you for a while and if you act right then, you know, maybe we can, we can Rectify this. That's not what the Lord says. If you an adulterer, if you are a drug addict, you can come to him tonight. And when you give your heart to him, he forgives you right there in that while we were yet, sinners Christ died for us. He closes with a robe of righteousness, even when our garments are filthy and we don't deserve it. That's what Grace that's what salvation is. God, giving us something that we do not deserve. That's what salvation is all about. You see, if you have experienced God's forgiveness, Then we need to live for. You know that if you tonight have experienced God's forgiveness, which we all have, if we're saved, we're wearing Christ robe of righteousness. Then he tells us to go and sin, no more and live for me, we need to live for him. If we received his forgiveness and we've all received it tonight. You see this is all about salvation. This is all about longing. For the righteousness of Christ will pick it back up next week at verses 8 through 10 will look and see how Jesus fulfills this. And then we'll look at this passing say, okay, what does it mean to me? How can I live my life based on this story tonight in on this Vision? Let's pray, father. We thank you. And praise you and love you tonight for your word, Lord, we just thank you for this vision and what it means, will we see salvation? Right here? We know that we all stand before the Lord with filthy garments. The Lord, we thank you that way, it's not by our own works. It's not by our own righteousness, because all of our good works, they're nothing more than filthy rags. Thank you that you clothed us with the righteousness of Christ. That when you see us, you don't see us in soaked, man or woman. You see the righteousness of Christ, you see, Perfection? Thank you for doing that. Thank you for dying on the cross. So thank you for shedding the old blood because without the shedding of blood, there would be no forgiveness of sin. Forcing Christ name, I do pray. Amen. All right, well, I was good with the righteousness. I love that.

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