I. Zechariah 7:1-14 True Religion I used to attend church with a man named Danny (fake name). He was married and had several children. He was unusually self-disciplined. He read his Bible studiously. He devoured books on theology. He had worked for a National Christian Ministry. He attended a men s Bible Study every week. He tithed systematically. He was enthusiastic about the Bible and the things of God. He attended church religiously. In all of this he exuded self-confidence. When I first met him, he had changed churches several times in the previous years. He possessed a critical spirit. You left a conversation with Danny feeling that were never quite good enough. After a few months at a church he would find something to criticize and leave. No church was good enough. His family looked ideal on the outside. The children were perfectly behaved. Their clothes were always neat and clean. They folded their hands quietly in front of themselves, and never spoke unless spoken to, but something seemed wrong. His children looked depressed. They lacked joy. Danny dominated his wife socially. When Judy and I were with them he acted as if she wasn t there. When this happened our hearts went out to her in compassion, and we would try to address her directly, trying to lure her into conversation. When we tried that Danny would answer for her. We were embarrassed for her. On the outside Danny was impressive, but anyone that got to know he and his family better soon became concerned. Something was wrong. The thing that worried us most about Danny was that he was completely unaware of his problem. We have all known someone like Danny. Although actively engaged in all the outward forms and activities of Christianity, the reality of the gospel has never touched their heart, their life, or their relationships with those closest to them. They don t seem to be able to hear from God on the issues that God really cares about. Something seems to motivate them other than love for Christ and the desire to glorify him. We have a name for this. We call it a religious spirit. It was the sin of the Pharisees. Jesus hates this sin. The problem is that we all have some of it in our lives. In fact, the more of it you have the less you will be aware of it. As I have noted Danny was utterly oblivious to his religious spirit.
This sin is the subject of today s text. (Zec 7:1-14) In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years? 4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited? 8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts, 14 and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate. The date of this prophecy is December 518 BC. The men of Bethel bring a question: Should we fast on the fourth and fifth months? For seventy years they have fasted on these two months to mourn two things. First the breeching of the walls of Jerusalem, which occurred in the fourth month of 586 BC; and second, the destruction of the Temple which occurred in the fifth month of 586 BC. Since most of the exiles have now returned from Babylon, the people of Bethel send emissaries to the priests in Jerusalem with a question, should they keep fasting? The answer comes through the prophet, Zechariah. But, it is not the answer we expect. God doesn t seem to care about answering the question. In fact, he changes the subject. Through Zechariah God uses this question to call 2 of 9
Israel s attention to an old sin. It is the sin that motivated God to give Jerusalem and the temple up to destruction. He exiled them because they engaged in the external works of religion, fasting, mourning, animal sacrifice, etc., despite the fact that their hearts were elsewhere. They possessed Danny s sin, a religious spirit. Relationship with God is a two way street. God will not be mocked. He responds to the prayer of those who listen to Him, who do his will. In other words, God listens to those who listen to him. The first letter of Peter tells us that God does not listen to the prayer of the husband who does not live with his wife in an understanding way and show her honor (1 Pet. 3:7). It is very easy to go through the external acts of religion, but be stone-cold to the voice of God, to the real will of God in the nitty-gritty of daily life. Like Danny, you can be religious and impress others with your Bible knowledge, your prayers, your giving, your attendance at church events, even while your heart is far from God. Ultimately, the final answer to the question posed by the citizens of Bethel comes at the end of Zech. 8 (18-19). We will return to that answer next week. The Main Point of today s passage is the change of subject that God introduces through Zechariah God seeks true religion. True religion acts with right motives. True religion gives God what he wants not what we want to give him. The prophet makes three points. 1 st True religion has pure motives. 2 nd True religion gives God what he wants. 3 rd False religion is costly. A. 4-7 TRUE RELIGION HAS PURE MOTIVES 4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited? As we have seen, God answers Bethel s question with another question. Why did you fast on the fifth and seventh months? That is the question God 3 of 9
wants the men of Bethel to answer. Their fasting has been a custom now for about 70 years. It has become a religious habit. When that happens it is easy to do the right thing for the wrong reason. There was no lack of religious duty in ancient Israel. They offered animal sacrifices, grain offerings and memorial offerings. They tithed. The attended the three annual religious feasts in Jerusalem, etc. They read the law. They even memorized vast sections of scripture. But true religion does all of this for the right reason, to please God, not just because it is a religious custom. False religion does the right thing for the wrong reason because we have always done it that way. We do many right things for the wrong reasons. Going to church as a child Quiet Time HomeGroup attendance, Church attendance, Tithing, etc. My experience with weekly fasting. This is the same question the prophets had been asking Israel for several centuries, and Israel consistently failed the test. It was the main question God put to the Jews. Isaiah 29:13 14 Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, 14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden. To show his distress with them, Jesus quoted this passage to the Pharisees. Mark 7:6 7 6 And he said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. 4 of 9
What does God want from us today? If are motives are improper, he doesn t want us to quit practicing the spiritual disciplines. He wants us to repent of evil motives. He wants us to practice the spiritual disciplines, but with the right motives, with one eye on fruit. Are my spiritual disciplines making me more humble, teachable, dependent upon God, loving, merciful, and kind? B. 8-13 TRUE RELIGION GIVES GOD WHAT HE WANTS In 1958, on my tenth birthday, I asked my parents for a chemical rocket. Instead, they give me a picture book on natural history and they gave my brother, Bob, the rocket. I have wonderful parents, but in this case they gave me what they wanted me to have not what I wanted. We can do the same thing. A father gives his daughter material things instead of love. When she turns 18 he buys her a new car. He gives her a $150 per month clothing allowance, and sends her to an exclusive, private college for women, when the one thing she really wants, his willingness to listen to her and spend time with her, he withholds. Why? Affection, tenderness, and listening are too costly for him. Giving money doesn t require time, energy, or force him to engage in a relationship. So he gives what he wants to give, not what his daughter needs. This is exactly what the Jews were doing with God. They were giving God what they wanted to give him (animal sacrifice, etc.) but withholding the one thing he wanted them to give, social justice. There is a name for this. It is called externalism. 8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts. In ancient Israel gut-grinding poverty was a serious problem. There was no Obamma-care, no Aid for dependent children, no welfare, no unemployment, 5 of 9
or government aid for the poor. If you didn t earn money, you just starved. Imagine what it would be like if 25% of our congregation came to church on Sunday morning hungry, not having eaten breakfast Sunday morning, or dinner the night before. Imagine also that many in our congregation had a surplus but refused to share? That is what it was like in ancient Jerusalem. Despite these inequalities, many wealthy Israelites took advantage of their poor brothers and sisters. They used their poor Jewish brothers to enrich themselves. They lacked compassion and love. What God wanted was mercy and love amongst the brothers. He didn t want Israel to quit sacrificing animals. He wanted animal sacrifice to have it s intended affect mercy, compassion, and charity. He wanted Israel to treat the poor with kindness, fairness, and justice. The animal sacrifices, feasts, etc. were all designed to bring Israel to this end. However, Israel would not go where God wanted. They refused to listen to him. Why? Listening was too costly. We can do the same. I know a man who gave large amounts of money to the church each year, but would not provide spiritual leadership to his wife. Which do you think God was most interested in? What does God want from us today? What does he really want from you? Biblically speaking, we have no poor in our midst. No one in the church is starving. No one even lacks medical care. For those on welfare today obesity is our biggest problem. So the Biblical exhortation through Zechariah has limited application to North American Christians. But God still has expectations. The key question is this: What is God speaking to you about? Are you listening to him? Are you giving God what you want to give or what he wants you to give? Are you like the father who wouldn t give his daughter the affection she so desperately wanted? Are you like Danny who loved theology, but refused to love and honor his wife and children? Here is what God wants: He wants us to love our brothers. And the most important brother for you to love is the one closest to you your spouse, your children, your roommate, your sibling. A religious spirit acts like Danny. It loves the church, Spokane, and the world, but will not love (serve) those in its own household. 6 of 9
I believe God wants us to treat those in our household better than we treat those at church, better than we treat those in our HomeGroups. If we don t it is a sure sign of a religious spirit. Maybe for you the issue is tithing, a willingness to join a local church, seeking out someone to hold you accountable becoming really transparent about your sins with someone, submitting to a boss that you don t like, maybe it s a consistent prayer life, or Bible reading, or bringing a hidden addiction into the light? True Religion Listens to God. True religion gives God what he wants. It listens with a joyful desire to put the self-life to death. C. 14 FALSE RELIGION IS COSTLY 14 and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate. God judged Israel for their religious spirit. When the men from Bethel ask, Should we continue fasting in the fourth month? God responds, Don t forget, I don t care about religious obligations. I don t care about fasting unless it is done for the right reason. Have you forgotten the lessons of Israel s history? I destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the temple and sent my people into wasting exile because they did the right things for the wrong reasons. I sent them into exile because they gave me what they wanted to give me. They didn t give me what I wanted. They didn t practice social justice with their brothers and sisters. Instead they gave me religion. God brought wasting judgment upon the Jews twice for this sin Skip forward 500 years. In Jesus time the Pharisees were equally religious. Jesus told them that the temple would be destroyed and the Jews dispersed amongst the nations because of their religious Spirit. After a long dissertation in Matt 23 condemning the Pharisees for their religious spirit, Jesus ended with these sobering words. Matthew 23:37 39 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 See, your house is left to you 7 of 9
desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. D. APPLICATION: PUT ON TRUE RELIGION In our application we want to find a cure for this sin, so that we can give God true religion. The cure for a religious spirit is two-fold. 1 st We cure a religious spirit when we suspect that we ourselves have it. We all have it, and it is most deadly when we are blind to it in ourselves. Those who suspect themselves of a religious Spirit pray like David. Psalm 19:12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Psalm 26:2 2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. Psalm 139:23 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 2 nd We cure a religious spirit to the degree that we see our sin as God sees it. That is what Danny lacked. The knowledge of our sin makes us feel desperate need for Christ. It transfers all of our trust to him. When we see that our idols can t solve our problems we give up on them. The knowledge of personal sin also makes us compassionate, tender hearted, and loving towards those closest to us. Where do we get the knowledge of our sin? We see our sin at the cross. We see our sin and desperate need at the cross. sin. The cross shows us God s hatred of a religious spirit. Jesus died for this We also see God s provision for our religious spirit at the cross. Jesus died to atone for our religious spirit. Jesus died to motivate us to turn from a religious spirit. Jesus lived a perfect life. He is the only man completely free of a religious spirit. When you believe his righteousness is imputed to you and I.. Ultimately, what does God want from us? Read Isaiah 66:1-5. 8 of 9
In summary, the Jews came to Jerusalem with a question about fasting. Instead of answering them, God reminded them about his hatred of a religious spirit. A religious spirit does the right things for the wrong reasons. A religious spirit gives God religious duties and obligations instead of what he really wants. God judges the religious spirit. Its root and foundation is the pride. The proud person is ill-equipped to see his own sin. Therefore he feels little need for God or need to be sensitive to him. The cure is twofold First a persistent desire to see and root this sin out. Second a clear view of our sin and God s mercy. Our sin and God s mercy appear most clearly at the cross of Christ. What happened to Danny? To my chagrin I was not able to help him. He soon found problems with our church and moved on. When I think of him I pray, with tears that by God s grace, he will be able to see his religious spirit and repent of it. E. HOMEGROUP STUDY QUESTIONS Read Zechariah 7:1-14. Why are the men from Bethel fasting? What is there question? What surprises you about how God answers them? In this passage the marks of a religious spirit are 1 st doing the right thing for the wrong reason, and 2 nd giving God what we want not what he wants. Where do you see these ideas in this text? What character deficiency is at the root of a religious spirit? Why do you think it might be difficult to see this sin in your own life? This sermon suggested that the cross is the cure for a religious spirit. Why do you think that might be the case? Where do you see a religious spirit in your own life? In light of this sermon, what does repentance look like in your own life? How should the truths in this passage affect you tomorrow morning? 9 of 9