Spirit Empowered Faith – Zechariah 4:1-7
Against the pain, chaos, and suffering life can inflict we can be left wondering, “Why believe?” Like the Israelites mourning bygone days and the beauty of a city they will never see, we can find ourselves hopeless. But the Prophet Zechariah’s message to the Israelites, and to us, is to renew our trust in God and discover faith again.
“Waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought, useless and disappointing.” - A Cinderella Story
Like Israel we are left asking: How and why we can continue to have faith?
What is faith?
Mental affirmation is only the beginning of Faith, It ends with obedient action, or “Enacted Loyalty” - Salvation by Allegiance by Matthew Bates
“Faith is the substance, or reality, of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen.” - Heb 11:1
Allegiance communicates who & what we are loyal to and obey.
Zechariah directs the people of Israel toward a Spirit-empowered Faith
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” -James 4:7-8
God’s promise is consistent that when his people repent and turn toward Him, He is faithful to draw near to them.
Bible Project Resource: https://bibleproject.com/view-resource/246/
Zechariah 3 & 4 offer us a vision of (1) the why of our faith and (2) the how of our faith.
Zechariah 3: Vision about High Priest, Joshua
Role of High Priest:
Act as representative and mediator
Responsible for enforcing the covenant & directing the hearts of the people.
Jesus is our new High Priest; Jesus is WHY we can have faith
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” - 1 Peter 1:3
Doubt isn’t decreased faith, its matured faith
Studies have shown that for every 1 negative experience, you need 3 positive ones.
Give God the chance to give you 3 positive moments.
Faith begins with engaging your mind and ends with actions.
Zechariah 4: Vision about Governor, Zerubbabel
“Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit Says the Lord” - Zech 4:6
God is the source of Zerubbabel’s authority and power.
“Only if his Spirit governs every detail can service be glorifying to him.” -Scholar Joyce G. Baldwin
Spirit Empowerment is HOW we have faith.
“Obedience is about living in the present as if the future has already arrived. It’s not blind faith you’re doing it because you can point back to the resurrection of the risen Jesus.” - Theologian Tim Mackey
Faith is a leap but it’s not blind.
“...real biblical faith is not a general positive mindset or a blind optimism but is directed toward a defined object—and it is the trustworthiness of the object that sources and fixes faith’s genuineness. So if we want to grow in faith, we should study and contemplate God’s extraordinary reliability.” -Author Matthew Bates
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Encourage your soul with stories of FAITH
Posture yourself to receive
Love God & Love your Neighbor
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30
BE THE MOST INTERESTED PERSON IN THE ROOM!