Category Archives: Salvation

Asking, Belief, Bible, Blasphemy, Choices, Confession, Heart, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Wrath

HARD-HEARTED

ZECHARIAH 7:12

“‘They also made their hearts as hard as a diamond so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the LORD of armies had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of armies.’”

I’ve known some pretty hard-hearted people in my days. They cared for no one but themselves and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. I later learned how damaged these people actually were. They had all been hurt by someone, so they decided to hurt before they got hurt again. It’s very sad.

The Lord refers to some individuals who “made their hearts as hard as a diamond.” The Hebrew word translated diamond can also be called adamant or flint. It was a hard rock or gem that could not be scratched or engraved. It was impervious to change. These people God is referring to had rejected the Holy Spirit’s leading through the prophets and were now destined for wrath.

APPLICATION

In Acts 7:51 Stephen gives us a good picture of this. “‘You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.’” One of the most dangerous things you can do is resist the Holy Spirit. He is the One who draws us to the Father. He is the One who shows us the way to salvation and is the seal of that salvation.

Matthew 12:31 Jesus tells us, “‘Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.’” The unpardonable sin! Rejecting the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how many “chances” we have to respond. There may be a breaking point when the Holy Spirit stops wooing you if you continually reject Him. Just like those “hard as diamond” people in today’s verse, you refuse to be affected by the Spirit.

I am so grateful that I did respond on that day back in 1977. I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear. I continue to hear Him as He directs me each day. I pray if you are believer that you are hearing Him. And if you are not a believer, stop and listen. Ask the Spirit of God to speak to you. He will. Then you must decide how hard your heart really is.

Thank You, Lord, for sending Your Holy Spirit to woo me and win me. I am so glad He lives within me.

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Abiding, Bible, Blessing, Commitment, Decisions, Following, Gospel, Loyalty, Memorials, Salvation, Scripture

A MEMORIAL

ZECHARIAH 6:14

“‘Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.’”

Have you ever put something aside as a reminder? I have. In fact, I could probably still find some of those things if I dug for them. That’s just my point. The things we think are so important at the time are really not. They will not last. We tend to put way too much value on things that are temporal. Instead, we should be laying up treasures in heaven.

The Lord tells Zechariah that this crown upon Joshua’s head will become a memorial, a reminder to the people. Back in verse 10, these individuals named here are first brought to our attention. Most scholars believe Helem and Hen are the same as Heldai in verse 10. The crown stands for God’s rule and reign in their lives as Priest and King. God seems to be saying, “Don’t forget this.”

APPLICATION

What is the key moment in your life when you gave your heart and mind to Christ? When did you finally surrender to His call? Think back to that time when you prayed to receive Christ’s offer of salvation. That is a memorial! That is a marker, a milestone. Mark it! Nail it down! You need to remember that moment.

Well Carl, I just kind of grew into Christ. Well, I have to disagree. Just because you are born in a garden you don’t grow into a turnip, do you? God calls each of us to Himself. I love that ole hymn that says, “Have you heard the Savior calling?” Revelation 3:20 tells us, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

There is a moment when you felt that call, when you heard that knock. Ask the Lord to show you when that was, if you are not sure. Why am I stressing this? Because we need those markers in our lives. As we share our story with others those markers give us our talking points. Use them to show others what He has done for you and what He can do for them.

I heard Your call and answered, Lord. Now, use me to glorify You.

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Access, Asking, Bible, Cleansing, Cross, Direction, Escape, Forgiveness, God's Will, Heaven, Salvation, Scripture

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?

ZECHARIAH 5:10

“So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘Where are they taking the ephah?’”

If you have children, you have probably put up with “explorations.” We put up baby gates and all sorts of contraptions to try to keep the little buggers contained. But lo and behold, they would find ways to escape. I can remember sitting and watching my children trying to figure out how to get loose. I would jokingly ask them, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Zechariah just watched the two winged women swoop down and pick up the ephah with the woman (wickedness) inside and fly away. His first thought was “Where are they going?” I don’t think he was concerned about the woman’s welfare. He was just curious about their destination. By this time, Zechariah wasn’t afraid to ask anything of that angel. (Come back tomorrow to see where they take her.)

APPLICATION

As I was thinking of an application for this verse, the thought came to me – what happens to our sins? Where does God carry them? We have the answer right in Scripture. Psalm 103:11-12 says, “11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.”

That’s a long way! You can’t get to the east by traveling west or vice versa. You just keep traveling in the direction you are going, whether that be heading east or heading west. In other words, you can’t get back that sin once it has been forgiven. It’s gone. Now, you may choose to sin again, but it won’t be that same sin. It will be a brand new one.

God could pile all our sins up in one big heap in heaven (mine would be mountainous) and show them all to us when we get there. But no, He removes them. So, we don’t have to ask that question I asked earlier. We know where He carries our sins – to the cross, where they are forgiven forever. Amen? Amen!

Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Calvary, Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near

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Accused, Bible, Captivity, Death, Devil, Evil, Forgiveness, Judgment, Redemption, Salvation, Satan, Scripture, Sin

A WHAT IN A WHAT?

ZECHARIAH 5:7

“And behold, a lead cover was lifted up. He continued, ‘And this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.’”

I have seen some strange things in my life. I remember once in Liberia; I saw a woman carrying a car engine on her head. That’s right, a car engine. I was told by a Liberian man that a Liberian woman could carry whatever two men could lift and put on her head. Now, that was strange. I wonder how she got it down.

I bet Zechariah was a little shocked when he saw what was inside that ephah. Under the lead cover was a woman. A what? A woman. What in the world? Albert Barnes explains it this way. The woman represented Israel’s sin. Her sitting symbolized their comfort in their sinful condition. And the lead cover showed the weight of their sin. Not a pretty picture. The largest measure (ephah) with the heaviest weight (lead) was what Zechariah was seeing.

APPLICATION

Do you realize the weight of your sin? Hebrews 12:1 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,…” You can’t run weighted down. Sin is heavy, much heavier than you think.

I love this quote. “Sin will cost you more than you ever thought you would pay. It will take you further than you ever thought you would stray. And it will keep you longer than you ever thought you would stay.” Zechariah saw the weight of Israel’s sins portrayed in his vision. We can see it all around us today.

Sin destroys families. It cost people their livelihoods. It wrecks relationships. And it keeps some people tangled in unhealthy lifestyles. You don’t believe in sin? Satan loves that. He loves you not believing in it because he knows he has you right where he wants you. But there is a way out. You can be set free from the chains that bind you. Just come to Jesus.

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood His mercy reigns, unending love, amazing grace

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Appearance, Battles, Bible, Confession, Deception, Evil, Forgiveness, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Sin

THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL

ZECHARIAH 5:6

“And I said, ‘What is it?’ Then he said, ‘This is the ephah going forth.’ Again he said, ‘This is their appearance in all the land.’”

Let me begin this blog by saying that I cannot get the picture of our world right now as it relates to this verse out of my mind. Every day when I walk around our city, I see the appearance of evil. Maybe the Lord has just given me spiritual eyes right now. I do not want to sound judgmental. Believe me, I know my sins stink just as bad. But there just seems to be a flaunting of sin all around us.

God, through the angel, is showing Zechariah the ephah, the measuring basket, that is full of the people’s sins. They had been unrepentant. Their sins were rampant. They had reached a full measure demanding justice. Some scholars equate the use of the ephah with their sin of stealing mentioned earlier since they would use it falsely for measuring grain to sell.

APPLICATION

I recall my late brother-in-law telling me that the older he got, the more he saw how sinful he was. The light exposes sin, and the closer we get to it, the more we see it. Look at the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:11-13. “11 Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

Our sins will be exposed one day. As a matter of fact, they are exposed now to God. He knows everything we do. I love verse 8 in Psalm 90 which says, “You have placed our guilty deeds before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your presence.” Actually, I don’t really love that verse, but you know what I mean.

Don’t let your sins fill the ephah. Empty them out every day. Confess them to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. If you are not a believer in Jesus, come to Him now and receive forgiveness and eternal life. If you are a believer, purify your heart and walk in holiness today.

Cleanse me, Father, and let me walk hand in hand with You today.

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Accountability, Bible, Commands, Following, Love, Obedience, Salvation, Scripture

STEALING AND SWEARING

ZECHARIAH 5:3

“Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the entire land; everyone who steals certainly will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears falsely will be purged away according to the writing on the other side.’”

My dad would not tolerate stealing. Nor would he put up with foul language. My dad wasn’t perfect and didn’t come to Christ until later in life, but he was intent on raising us right. I never had the desire to steal (except for that one piece of candy at the grocery store), but I was prone to cuss and swear. Of course, I knew better but still did it.

Do you wonder why this flying scroll singled out these two sins? The commandment against stealing was on one side of the tablet of the ten commandments and swearing (against God) was on the other. They were the eighth and third commandments, respectively. One had to do with sins against others and the other against God. These were representative of the sins of the people.

APPLICATION

It is not hard to see how to apply this to our lives today. What are your sins against others? What are your sins against God? You know them, but have you confessed them to the Lord and asked His forgiveness? I understand that as a child of the Lord and a believer in Jesus as our Savior, we are under grace, not the Law. But we still need to obey His commandments. We are to still strive to be holy.

Leviticus 22:31 tells us, “‘So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the LORD.’” Jesus said in John 14:15, “‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.’” Commandment keeping is still important. Let me repeat – we are under grace, not the Law. However, we are expected to follow God’s commands.

You may not steal or swear, but I am willing to bet that you have committed sins against others and God. Take a moment right now and search your heart. Ask the Lord to reveal those transgressions to you and then confess them as sin. Confession is saying the same thing about your sin that God says. Agree with Him. He will forgive. Follow Him.

Oh Father, keep me from transgressing against You and my neighbor. I want to please You.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Faith, God's Will, Gospel, Power, Salvation, Scripture

TRUE POWER

ZECHARIAH 4:6

“Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of armies.’”

Oh, do I have stories to tell of my attempts to do things on my own. Whether it was stubbornness about a task I needed to accomplish or my impatience with others resulting in me going it alone, I learned that I need others in my life. I particularly need the one true source of power – Jesus Christ. Amen?

Today’s verse is an often quoted verse. But seldom do people go back to the vision in verses 2-5 to get the full meaning of this verse. Just as the lampstand was fed eternally by the olive trees depositing an endless supply of olive oil, so too would Israel be provided the strength through Jehovah. It wasn’t about military strength or their own physical strength. It was God who would enable them to finish the temple to His glory.

APPLICATION

We need His Spirit. We need His power. It is not about us. It is all about Him. Have you experienced this? I pray you have. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The power of God! For salvation! To everyone who believes!

We find later in the New Testament, another writer stating the same message. 1 Peter 1:5 says about believers, “who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Not only does His power save us, but it also protects us. Why would we not want to yield to Him?

Let me let you in on a little secret. God will let you try it on your own. Even though He has drawn you to Him, He will not force you to receive this power. And then when you find out that you can’t do it, He is there. That was my dad’s testimony. He finally realized at 80-years-old that he couldn’t do it on his own. Glory! Hallelujah! You can know that too.

It is Your power, God. It is Your Spirit that gives us strength.

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Access, Angels, Belief, Bible, Confession, Death, Forgiveness, Glory, Heaven, Life, Salvation, Scripture

FREE ACCESS

ZECHARIAH 3:7

“‘The LORD of armies says this: “If you walk in My ways and perform My service, then you will both govern My house and be in charge of My courtyards, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.”’”

What does “free access” mean to you? I picture going to an amusement park and having a ticket that allows you to ride all the rides, eat all the food you want, drink all you want and having reserved parking in the parking lot. But even with that you still would not be allowed behind the scenes of these rides or in the offices of those who made all the decisions.

The LORD of armies is saying through the angel that if Joshua would “walk in My ways and perform My service” then he would have free access. But to where? He would be promised to be with the angels who were around him when he died. Eternal life, promised heaven. Who wouldn’t jump at that offer, right?

APPLICATION

We are promised the same if… Our “if” is receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. There is no other way to gain free access to glory. Jesus tells us that in John 14:6. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

Paul says something similar in Romans 10:9. “…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;…”

You can’t get much plainer than that. Free access comes one way – through Jesus. Let me ask that question again. Who wouldn’t jump at that offer, right?

You may be surprised. Many think coming to Jesus will cramp their lifestyle. They will have to give up too much. They don’t understand the freedom they could have in Christ. That’s where you come in. You have to tell them. You have to show them. You have to live in such a way that they come to you asking you about your freedom. Free access is available to all. Help others come to it.

I am free, Father, to live my life pleasing You. I can’t wait to see You face-to-face.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Clothing, Devil, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Lies, Restoration, Salvation, Satan, Scripture

LET’S GET DRESSED UP

ZECHARIAH 3:4

And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.’”

Today, in most churches, you don’t see many people dressed up. Men rarely, if ever, wear a suit and tie. Women don’t wear dresses or hats. When I was young, those were common sights. I don’t mind wearing a suit and tie. In fact, I kind of like it. Now, God doesn’t require that, I know. But I kind of feel nice when I dress nicer for church than when I go to a ballgame. That’s just me.

We find Joshua, the high priest, clothed in filthy garments (see yesterday’s blog) in Zechariah’s vision. But the Lord does not leave him like that. He gives instructions to the angels to remove those filthy things and to clothe him in festive robes. These were probably the high priest’s garments. This action represented God’s forgiveness of the people of Israel. They were now cleansed of those sins represented by the other garments.

APPLICATION

The good news for us is God does the same for us. Take me, for instance. I was a filthy dog. Really, I was. My life before Christ was filled with debauchery. I wasn’t fit for my King. But because I placed my trust in Christ, He removed my filthy garments and clothed me in His righteousness. Now, I am wearing His garment of praise. Isaiah 61:3 says, “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Don’t you want that? Barnes says this about today’s verse. “But when God had pity on them, He bade them be freed from their defilements, and in a manner re-clad with justifying grace.”

Oh, friends, He does the same for you. He will free you from your defilements. He will clothe you with His grace. All you have to do is come to Him. Are you still trying to pick up those old, filthy garments? Has the devil got you believing you are not worthy of His garments? You are! God says you are. Don’t believe those lies of Satan.

I have known a lot of Christians who wallow in their own filth. They have asked Christ to be their Savior, but they just can’t believe it is that simple. Well, it is, and it isn’t. Salvation is free but is not cheap. A surrendered life will cost you everything. In return, He gives you His kingdom as a joint heir with Christ. Just look at Romans 8:16-17. “16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Now, live like it.

I don’t deserve Your garments, Lord, but You have clothed me.

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Anger, Belief, Bible, Grace, Salvation, Wrath

AN ANGRY GOD

ZECHARIAH 1:2

“‘The LORD was very angry with your fathers.’” 

Let me tell you – I knew when my dad was angry. There was no doubt about it. I did not want to make him angry. I would do just about anything to not do that. Did I ever do that? I have to admit that I did. I won’t go into what I did. Just suffice it say it went against his expectations of my behavior.

Zechariah begins his book with this short but pointed sentence. Jehovah God said He was very angry with their fathers. What an opening salvo. Pull the pin and toss the grenade. Boom! What do you think they expected after that statement? Well, we will see in the next verse what happened. These Israelites knew the sins of their fathers. They had been judged by God and taken into exile because of them. So, this opening by the Lord was a known fact.

APPLICATION

The Hebrew word for “angry” means to crack off, burst out in rage, be displeased, be provoked to wrath. When we are outside of Christ, we face that anger of God. God’s wrath had to be appeased, which it was in His Son, Jesus. Because we have accepted His Son as our Savior, and only because of that, we no longer face that wrath.

John 3:36 tells us, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” One of the most well-known verses is Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? So, how do you share this to others before it is too late?

Sharing your faith is not hard. You just have to ask the Lord to give you the opportunity and then be watchful for that. When the opening comes, step out and do it. Just share what the Lord has done for you. He has taken away His wrath from you. Everyone wants that. Help someone today to experience it. You won’t regret it.

I am so thankful for the blood of Jesus which satisfied Your wrath, O God.

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