By My Spirit Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6 Introduction Down through history the church of Jesus Christ has needed to be brought back to the truth of these words. A classic example is that of the reformation when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the doors of Wittenberg Cathedral. He was ordered by the church authorities to take back his statements against what were common practices in the Catholic church of the time and to recant or face being excommunicated. He famously replied, Here I stand I can do no other. He was standing against Power & Might a religion that taught that you could buy favour with God if you had the money, or the power! He was standing against a religion that had no place for the Spirit of God. He was standing for the truth of today s text: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit The name Zechariah means The LORD remembers. Zechariah was born in Babylon and returned to Jerusalem with the first group of exiles in 538 B.C. Zerubbabel had led the return of these exiles and he had begun the rebuilding of the temple this rebuilding project had got as far as laying the foundations but then 16 years had passed with no more being done. Due to apathy, political issues and other opposition the temple had never been completed. The prophecy of Zechariah Chapter 4 was given as an inspiration and encouragement to this discouraged and disillusioned leader who faced an uphill struggle a huge task with plenty of reasons to give up. Into this context comes this message from God that would inspire him to keep going and complete the challenge God had given him to do and which, crucially, shows him how he would do it. Whether you have just arrived in Chiang Mai or if you have been here many years, I believe this prophecy contains a vital message for everyone who seeks to serve God and live for his glory. READ ZECHARIAH Chapter 4 See the picture on the front of the Eaglesheet [picture from a Jewish website and taken from a Spanish Bible produced in 1300]. o The 2 Olive trees provide the menorah with a constant and full supply of fuel into the bowls at the top.
o 7x7 lamps (perfect number) provides plenty of light From this picture comes a messianic message of peace: From this picture comes the specific message for Zerubbabel: From this picture comes a vital message for you and me! What image / posture do these words conjure up MIGHT / POWER / MY SPIRIT? MIGHT Not by might physical strength Not by our own energy Not with our own resources Not in our own wisdom POWER Nor by power Personality / position Nor by our own authority Nor by our own influence Nor by our own money
SPIRIT But by my spirit dependence on God In humility Despite weakness Through personal emptiness yet trusting in God What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. What was Zerubbabel s mountain? I suspect that it to do with the 16 years in which his work had gone nowhere! the setbacks the disappointments the frustrations What are the obstacles that you face? If you are new to Thailand & C Mai all the newness! Settling in. Maybe you have been working here a while but find that you cannot get beyond laying the foundations Maybe you find yourself stuck with complex cultural issues, enmeshed in political wranglings with the work that you came to do going nowhere Maybe it s something else, some other problem that feels like a mighty mountain filling your horizon Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit the mountain before you will become like level ground! Not because of your strength, nor because of your status, but by my spirit the mountain before you will become like level ground! Don t despise starting small; Don t belittle the little steps of progress; When you are seen, tools in hand, getting on with the job you will give encouragement and hope; By my spirit and in the energy of God you will get the job done, and when it is completed you will bring out the finishing piece to shouts of, God bless it, God bless it! or Grace! Grace to it. The crowning glory of God s work every time and always is GRACE! God s unmerited blessing of us! God s blessing us for no other reason than because he
loves us. God s using us! God s calling us to partner with Him in his great plan of redemption. God s work, done in His way, will never lack His resources and then we will stand back and say It s all of Grace! Praise the Lord! The words of Zechariah as he prophecies the coming of Jesus, powerfully illustrates the essence of this spiritual life that honours God that the way of God is NOT by might, NOR by power, but by my Spirit: 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, Gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. NOT BY MIGHT 12:10 I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. NOT BY POWER 13:1 On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. BUT BY MY SPIRIT Jesus became nothing Jesus took upon himself the very nature of a servant Jesus humbled himself Jesus perfectly obeyed the will of his father Jesus was obedient to death even death on a cross for the forgiveness of sins, to freely give eternal life to all who repent of their sin and trust in his salvation = it s all about GRACE. And we who follow Jesus, who own his name, are called to live in the same way THE GOSPEL = God who embraces us despite who we are and what we have done God s embrace of us enables us to embrace God and to embrace others for the good of others and the world This grace comes to us in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit CMCC Embracing our world with the heart of God. What a challenge God has put before us as a church! This is our high ideal our audacious aspiration! Payap / home / S.E.Asia / Agape / Project office / one child / several 1000 students / a village / a people group / a closed country / our neighbour in need ALSO int. community of C Mai / in hospital / in prison / those in our neighbourhhoods
When you complete the work that God has given you to do, A work that has not been done in your might, nor in your power, but by His Spirit then, it will be accompanied by shouts of Grace! It has all been of God s grace! It is only in the last verses of this chapter that the meaning of the picture of the lampstand and the olive trees with the pipes that pour out golden oil became clear It is about the constant abundant supply of the Spirit of God It is about being anointed that we need to serve God. It is about being a wick for God! Here s a wick in a lamp. The purpose of the lamp is to give light. As long as there is pure oil and the wick is kept trimmed, then the lamp will burn brightly. This is the picture of serving God that we are left with 2 Cor. 12:10 When I am weak then I am strong. 1 Cor. 1:27 God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are [Gideon David You can t be too small for God to use but you can be too big! ] The picture for us is: this wick is a very ordinary thing but God uses it to burn brightly and give light - because of the oil which is in abundant and constant supply! 2 Cor. 4:11 We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. It is not what we do for God but what he does through us that brings a blessing to others it is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD Almighty.