Zechariah chapter 2, and we're
going to be looking particularly at verses 7 and 8, but I'd like
to start reading with verse 5. I'm more and more impressed with
this book as I go through it. It's just such a delightful book
of Zechariah. We could call him the pastor.
We could call him the prophet. We could call him the apostle.
We could call him many things because he is God's spokesman
in Jerusalem and for Judah after they have come back from some
Babylonian captivity. And his purpose is to preach
the gospel. His purpose is to preach Christ. And it tells us, beginning with
verse 5 there, it says, for I say, saith the Lord, we'll For I,
saith the Lord, will be under her a wall of fire round about,
and will be the glory in the midst of her. And he's talking
about the church. He's talking about his called
out assembly. He's talking about those whose
names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. He's talking about
those who were chosen in Christ by the Father before the world
began. And this is the comment that he's making about that,
and We notice then in verse 6, ho, ho, come forth and flee from
the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you
abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith the Lord. Deliver
thyself, O Zion, that dwells with the daughter of Babylon.
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, after the glory hath he sent
me unto the nations which spoiled you, For he that toucheth you,
toucheth the apple of his eye. For behold, I will shake my hand
upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants, and
ye shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. Well, we can
see again a lot about that name, Lord of hosts, because he's demonstrating
through the prophet Zechariah, that the person who is speaking
here is the sovereign God of heaven. Take that to the bank,
listen to that and it will do you good to know that it is the
sovereign God of the universe that is commanding these words
to Zachariah. Now in verse 7 it says, Verse six, verse six, it says,
oh, come forth and flee from the land of the north, saith
the Lord. And we looked at a little bit
about that last week, and that word is used there in the book
of Ruth, where Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, stops the near kinsman
and says, sit down with me. He stopped him. Well, we find
that the prophet Zechariah is used to call a stop to those
who are in the land of the north. Now, Zechariah delivers a call
to come out of Babylon is what he's doing. There are a lot of
people that had stayed in Babylon. Not everyone had come back to
Jerusalem, and not everyone was in Judah at the time that Zechariah
was the prophet to them. So he calls on those who are
yet there. We find that his ministry was
to preach the gospel of good news, and the same good news
is today, come out of Babylon, come down to Jerusalem. That's
the summation of the gospel. leave where you are and come
to Christ. Yet we find that Zechariah had
the same kind of success that Isaiah had. In the 53rd chapter
of the Book of Isaiah, remember what Isaiah said? He shares with
us over there, who hath believed our report. Now, he had no doubt
said a lot and have seen very little. Who hath believed our
report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? He is concerned. He has called on Israel to come. He has called on them to come
out. He's called him to come too. And yet we find Zacharias
doing the same thing here about those Jews, Jews that had been,
chose to stay in Babylon. The religious people, those who
would say, even in Babylon, I'm God's chosen person and everything
will be okay. Well, his call is to them to
come out. Ho, ho, stop, stop, come forth
and flee from the land of the north. We find that that comment
that Isaiah made in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah
is mentioned several times in the New Testament. And one time,
the Lord uses this passage of scripture to instruct people.
So would you join me over in the book of John chapter 12?
In John chapter 12, the Lord uses that passage of Isaiah,
Isaiah chapter 53, John chapter 12 and then we're going to be
looking in the book of Romans chapter 10 because the Apostle
Paul was led to go back to that passage of scripture too. We
find so often that the messages that are brought out, the instructions
that are brought out in the New Testament, it's Old Testament
passages of scripture that are used for the text. And we know
why, because that's all they had at the time. The New Testament
was not even written at the time. So these are going to be the
passages that are used in the discussion or the argument or
the plea or the call by the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Apostle
Paul, or any of the other apostles that preach the gospel in their
day and time. John chapter 12 and verse 37,
we have the Lord using that passage over in the book of John. John
chapter 12 and there in verse 37, It says, but though he had done
so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. That's just the words of Isaiah. Who hath believed our report?
I've given a good, and Isaiah, that passage of scripture shares
with us our only responsibility to the world. Declare the report. We're just reporters. We're just
reporting what the Lord has written in his word. That's our responsibility. That the saying of Isaiah the
prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed
our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe
because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes and
hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes,
nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should
heal them." We might ask to make the statement, why? Because God's
sovereign. Settle the issue. Just settle
the issue. God is sovereign in this. We know from our own experience
of grace that if the Lord does not come to us individually and
reveal his son to us in the new birth, we would never come anyway.
We would have no interest in the gospel. We had no interest
in Christ. We'd have no interest in the
instructions that the Lord gave, just like the Pharisees had no
interest in the instructions that the Lord gave to them. They
could just blow it off. They just blew it off and rubbed
it off and said, it's not that important. And by the way, we
have more education than you do. Who taught you letters? And
in verse 40 of John chapter 12, He hath blinded their eyes, and
hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes,
nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should
heal them. These things said Isaiah, when
he saw his glory, and spake of him. What did Isaiah see? His
sovereignty. Saw his glory. And this is all
he could report. Who had believed our report,
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed. And then, if you
turn with me over to the book of Romans, chapter 10. The book
of Romans chapter 10, the Apostle Paul was led by the Holy Spirit
to bring up the subject of Isaiah. What a wonderful statement is
found here in the book of Romans. And we find throughout the book
of Romans, And it was brought up tonight in that conversation
that probably the same excuses that Saul of Tarsus had with
regard to the gospel, he is bringing up and sharing with us in here
and saying, this is what natural man would say and One of those
is in the sixth chapter of the book of Romans. If we believe
in grace, shall we go ahead and sin anyway? Well, he probably
had that thought in his head before he was converted. You
know, if I believe what those guys believe, I just go out and
do all of this stuff. Well, after he was saved, he
found out he was doing more stuff than he wanted to do. That's
the difference. Well, here in the book of Romans,
chapter 10, And verse 16, Romans chapter 10 and verse 16 says,
but they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith,
Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God. Who hath believed our report?
And the report is the word of God. That's what he was reporting.
He reported the gospel to these folks. He was a reporter reporting
the gospel, sharing the gospel, preaching the gospel, and all
that Isaiah could see with regard to that is who in the world out
there has believed anything that I have said? And then to whom
is the arm of the Lord revealed? He understood that. The Lord's results is what really
counts, not our results. Isaiah's results, Zechariah's
results, he could call out to those, he could send a dozen
letters a day back to Babylon, inviting people to come to Jerusalem,
because we got things settled down now, and come out of Babylon,
leave Babylon and come to Jerusalem. leave Mount Zion, excuse me,
leave Mount Sinai and come to Mount Zion. You have not come
to Mount Sinai as a believer. You have come to Mount Zion.
You've come to Christ. Well, we find that the Lord alone
is able to do. So turn with me back to the book
of Acts. I love this passage of scripture
in the book of Acts chapter 18, Acts chapter 18, and there in
verse 10, Verse 9 and 10, we'll read both
of those. He'd been preaching the gospel
here, and just like Isaiah, who in the world? What is all of
this for? Nobody's paying any attention.
I'm preaching, and I'm preaching, and I'm preaching, and nobody's
doing anything. Now, I don't know if those thoughts
went through Paul's mind, but I know he was a human like you
and I are. He was a believer and he's preaching
the gospel. And here it is, then spake the
Lord to Paul in night by a vision. And you know why this is here?
For us. It's here for us. It's here for them, but it's
here for us. And it's a very important statement
that is made here. But be not afraid, but speak
and hold not thy peace. In other words, don't change
your message. Don't change the gospel. Don't
make it more appealing. Don't change it so people like
it. Don't give up on what you've
been saying. Keep the gospel the gospel. Keep the simplicity of Christ
the simplicity of Christ. Don't get involved in the law.
Don't get involved in any of that other stuff. Just keep on
keeping on with where you've been preaching. For I am with
thee. Now, the reason I said that this
verse is not just for Paul, but for us, because it is. I am with
thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee. Now here's
the reason. For I have much people in this
city. Unknown to Paul. He didn't know
their names, or addresses, age, sex, background, or anything,
but the Lord declared unto him, without reservation, that in
this city, I have a bunch of people, and your gospel that
you're declaring, my gospel that you're declaring, is going to
be used to reveal Christ to them, and they will identify themselves
as believers to you, Paul. Now that's the truth of the matter.
They will identify themselves with you. They will say, God's
people will say, I believe the gospel. I believe Christ. I believe what you've been preaching
about Christ. That he is the only savior of his people. And he is a savior that really
saves his people from their sins. So the Lord's result is really
what matters. When we get back over here in
the book of Zechariah, Zechariah can go to bed at night and say,
you know, I've been a reporter today and I have invited all
those over in Babylon to come over here. I've withheld nobody. I have not said some of you have
to come over and some of you have to stay. He has invited
everyone to come over to Jerusalem, just like preaching the gospel.
We restrain nobody. We treat everybody as if they're
Isaacs. It is God that knows the difference
between Isaacs and Jacobs. It is God that knows the difference
between, as it tells us in the book of Matthew, as a shepherd
divides the sheep from the goats. He's the one. He knows the tares
and he knows the good fruit. He knows the good seed. So that's
his business, our business. is to declare to Babylon right
here, come to Christ, trust Christ, believe Christ. And that is where
we are. In Acts chapter 15 and verse
14. Acts 15 and verse 14. Let's back
up just a little bit there. Acts chapter 15 and verse 14.
And we notice here, Simon hath declared how God at
the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people
for his name. Now, Jews were instructed not
to interact with Gentiles. Strict Jews were not to interact
with Gentiles, but Simon Peter, was shown by a wonderful sign,
don't you call anything I make common or unclean. And he revealed
unto him that the gospel was also for the Gentiles who were
in Babylon, and they needed to come out of Babylon to Jerusalem,
just like the Jews need to come out of Babylon to Jerusalem.
take out of them a people for his name, and to this agree the
words of the prophets, as it is written. After this I will
return, and will build again the tabernacle of David which
is fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and
I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord,
and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the
Lord, who doeth all these things, known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. So, we declare the gospel. Stop! Ho! Come over here and sit down.
I have good news. We say, it's sad to say not many
people sit down, but I had no interest in it either. I didn't
have any interest in sitting down when the gospel came. In
fact, I had some real rich words about the guy that brought me
the gospel the first time. I didn't care for him at all.
I hated that man. Well, we find out that God is
pleased to cause us to sit down and to hear the gospel and to
reveal unto us Christ, and then we fall in love with Him and
His people. We don't have to be taught to
love the brethren. That's what we find the scriptures tell us.
God teaches us that. God teaches us that. Well, Romans
chapter 10, verse 20, Would you turn back there again? Romans
chapter 10 and verse 20, we find these interesting passages of
scripture here that have to do with people who are not looking
for Christ, who is not looking for God, that was their last
thing in their life that they planned on doing, is go out looking
for a place to hear the gospel. Romans chapter 10 and verse 20,
It says here, for Isaiah is very bold when he says, I was found
to them that sought me not. What? I revealed myself, God
said, I revealed myself to those who weren't looking after me.
We can say that about the Apostle Paul as he was Saul. He was really
not seeking after the Lord when the Lord saved him. But the Lord
saved him because he was marked out from eternity to be saved
at that time by the grace of God. I was made manifest to them
that asked not after me, no interest. And that applies to Jews and
Gentiles. There was a whole bunch of Jews
that had no interest, and there was a whole bunch of Gentiles
that had no interest. And yet, who hath believed our
report, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed, and here we
have. Isaiah also says, and then in verse 21, but to Israel he
says, all day long, and we could just put this word right in there,
to religious folks, to religious folks, to those who are satisfied
with their self-righteousness, with their deeds of the law,
with their works of righteousness, I have stretched out forth my
hand unto a disobedient and a gainsaying people." They're disobedient
to the gospel. If we add one thread, we're disobedient
to the gospel. And if we're disobedient to the
gospel, we're disobedient to God. And if we're disobedient
to God, He has every right to judge us. That's the way it is. So we have here, Zacharias says,
oh, come on, folks. I only have good intentions.
You come down here, Jerusalem is a good place. This is where
God is. The church is a good place. Come
down here. And yet, very few people had
any interest that were in Babylon. Now, if you'd go back with me
to the book of Zechariah, chapter two, There in verse 7, it says, deliver
thyself, O Zion, that dwelleth with the daughters of Babylon.
Oh, and there's no way they can deliver themselves. He says,
come out. Please, come out. I've had several
conversations with family members, and I would give my eye teeth
if I could have talked them into the gospel. I would love for
them to know what it is to know something about the gospel, and
not just about religion, about works, about this, becoming that
person. Or as I had a man tell me here
one time, I am the chairman of the ushers committee. I'm thankful
that before that man left this world, I believe he knew the
gospel. But in his religious life, I'm chairman of the ushers
committee. How important is that? In his
mind, it was most important. That was being, I am charge of
Babylon up here. I've got this down. Well, in
verse 8, For thus saith the Lord of hosts, After the glory hath
he sent me unto nations which spoiled you, For he that toucheth
you toucheth the apple of his eye. Now, this is a wonderful
statement. We've noticed here God's going
to have a city. Here's who that city is made up of. It doesn't
come by human means. It's the preaching of the gospel.
It's the reporting of the gospel, and the rest is up to God. He
must give the new birth. He must grant repentance. He
must grant faith. He must grant all of those things
that we count as necessary, and they are necessary, but God must
give them. He's the only one that can, and
when he does, it's done. We don't have any backpedaling
about it. And after that, Where do I stand in this God? Where
is the city that he's talking about? What kind of protection?
Well, we've already seen that there's some protection here,
but it gets closer to us as individuals because he says here, for he
that touches you touches the apple of his eye. What did Saul hear from the Lord
on the road to Damascus in that very first conversation? Why
persecutest thou me? Now had Saul ever touched the
Lord Jesus? I don't think so. Was he there
to nail nails in his hands and feet? No. Did he put the spirit
aside? Nope. What's he talking about?
How is he persecuting? He's persecuting the church of
the living God. He's persecuting people that
belong to the Lord. Why persecutest thou me? And
the next question that comes up there is, who art thou, Lord? And Jesus reveals himself unto
that man. I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.
Well, he hadn't physically persecuted the Lord Jesus Christ, but spiritually
he had persecuted him when he persecuted his people because
we find the protection that God has put around his people is
whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. Now, I know
this. I know this. The Lord, in his
eternal purpose, allows the fall to continually assault our flesh. It's a downhill slide from birth. The farther we go, I could say,
all right, folks, take your glasses off and let's have a meeting.
Folks, take out your hearing aids. Stop taking your pills for a
week. We don't, and we won't, because
they are used by God to keep us in the health that we do have.
But we are sliding downhill, whether we like it or not. Our flesh is under a constant
attack. by the fall. We age daily. Some will leave this world peaceably
in their sleep. And some will die an agonizing
death. And it's all in God's purpose.
Now I said that to say this because all of these things that God
says about his protection of us doesn't necessarily apply
to our flesh. But it does apply to our spirit,
and that is the most important. This flesh is gonna die, but
if we have a spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, he
has promised that this body will be raised like his body and no
longer feel pain, agony, distress, and there will be no more tears.
But until then, there will be those things. When the Lord tells
us about the church being the apple of his eye, nothing shall
befall it. He is speaking of spiritual things,
no sin. I was talking to a young man
today about what I heard so much when I was growing up. When the
preacher found out that you had went somewhere that you shouldn't
have, had did something that you shouldn't have done, or all
the rules and regulations, they stuck their finger in your face
and says, you are gonna have to answer for that. And you know
what? Lost people will have to answer
for that. But saved people are never told that Jesus Christ
absolutely, completely, and totally took care of the sin issue. And
if He did, He will not make anybody answer for that. It has been
taken care of. So spiritually, God's people
are the apple of his eye, and he will protect their spiritual
well-being to and in eternity. Saul left this world in an inglorious
death, but welcomed it. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. That's what he shares with us.
No sin will destroy the covenant relationship that we have with
God. No death can remove the sheep from the shepherd. No king,
priest, prophet can take one of the Lord's dear sheep away
from him. So let's look at a few verses
of scripture. Isaiah chapter 54. Would you
turn with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 54? The world has all
kinds of instruments of warfare and I'm not talking about swords
and shields and nine millimeters and AK-47s. I'm talking about
there's all kinds of instruments of warfare that the church is
assaulted with by the world and saying, if you really want to
be successful, you need to change your approach. We find the apostle
Paul dealing with that in almost every book of the New Testament
that he wrote. You have taken after a gospel that's not the
gospel. And how did you get there? Someone came along with a lie.
Watch what you are paying attention to. Well, here in the book of
Isaiah chapter 54 and there in verse 17, Isaiah 54 and verse
17, no weapon that is formed against
thee shall prosper. And every tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage
of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of
me, saith the Lord." Their righteousness is of me. Don't let anybody ever
change you on that. And if they can, you probably
don't know the righteousness of Christ anyway. So, any weapon
formed against thee shall not prosper. There is nothing but
the gospel. That is everything. Christ is
everything. Salvation of the Lord is everything.
The righteousness of Christ is everything. And no other thing
will prosper with the people of God. The weapon formed shall
not prosper against them. Keep your eyes on Christ, and
nothing else will prosper. What a blessing. God said, I'll
take care of you. And then if you'll turn with
me over to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 15. Jeremiah chapter 15. And you
know when Isaiah and Jeremiah are writing, they're writing
to a people that is a game saying people. They're a wayward people. Just before they're going to
be taken off into captivity. And he is warning them all through
here, and yet he's sharing with those who know something. Those
who knew the gospel. Those that a prophet had preached
to. And he'd revealed the truth to,
he said, even though you're among that great big group of people
there, no form of weapon shall prosper against you. What they
have to say to you and what they have to do to you will not affect
your position in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah chapter 15,
verse 20. Jeremiah chapter 15 and verse
20, it says, and I will make thee, The unto this people a
fenced brazen wall, and they shall fight against thee, but
they shall not prevail against thee. For I am with thee to save
thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will deliver
thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of
the hand of the terrible. Boy, God promised to save his
people out of Babylon, a rough city, a terrible city. Sin is
a terrible place. Wherever it is. It's a terrible
thing to have it and I'll deliver you out of that position My sin
your sin will be imputed to me and I'll take it as far as the
east is from the west and you'll be as a newborn child Before
me there will be no sin and in Go over there with the book of
Matthew chapter 10. Would you Matthew chapter 10
and This is as much as God knows about his people. It's figurative
language, it's a metaphor. I realize even though the truth
of the matter is he does know this, but he's just sharing with
us how intimately, how close his people are to him. The apple
of his eye means the pupil. He is that close to his people.
We are his pupil, we're that close to him. And here in the
book of Matthew chapter 10 and verse 30, it says, but the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Now, yes, he does know that,
but that's not the real benefit of that verse of scripture. I'm
so intimately knowledgeable about you that I know everything, and
I'll protect everything. and no side will go unguarded.
I remember preachers used to say that all of that armor of
the spirit just fits on the back, but you turn around, you're gonna
get hit with the slings of the devil. Oh, my foot, my foot. The Lord covers everybody with
his robe of righteousness, covered top to bottom. He protects us from all assault. Now, it doesn't mean he's protecting
our physical body. He does, but we're going to go
downhill. But our spiritual welfare, our
spiritual position with Christ is absolute stationary. If God be for us, who can be
against us? You're the apple of my eye. I
called you out of Babylon and drew you with cords of love,
and I brought you to myself. Jesus said about his sheep, and
I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. John chapter 10, verse 28. I
give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Now in that same book of John, turn with me to chapter 6, if
you would. John chapter 6. I got a wall of fire about. I'll
be the glory in. I am filling it with people from
Babylon. My people are a sinful people,
but I paid for their sin debt and they're mine. And in my eyes,
they are perfect. They have come to Mount Zion. They have come to New Jerusalem. They've come to Christ. I brought
them there. Now, after I brought them there,
how much will I protect them? All the way. All the way. I'll protect them
all the way. Now, I will lose none of them.
The picture that we have is found over there in crossing the Jordan
River. I just delight in that. Everyone passed over. Not one was left. Everyone left Egypt. Not one
was left. Everyone, will be in their proper
place around the throne of grace at the proper time. All right,
here in the book of John 6, John 6, and there in verse 39. John 6, verse 39 says, and this
is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which he
hath given me, I should lose nothing. but should raise it
up again in the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on
him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the
last day." What confirmation of God's eternal protective care
over his sheep. And it is the will of God. And
I have found out in our study of the will of God that what
he wills, he does. We can't say that. We would like
to be able to say that, but we can't say that and have it come
true, but God can. Why? Because he is powerful enough
to be able to keep his will. His will for us is this, and
he will keep it to the end. All right, would you join me
back in the Psalms, Psalm 37. Psalm 37, verse 28. Psalm 37, verse 28. For the Lord loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever. But
the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall
inherit the land and dwell therein forever. What a beautiful picture
the Lord gives us here of dwelling in Jerusalem, dwelling with the
Lord. And he will lose none. His seed,
they are preserved forever. Nothing can remove us from that
position because sin was taken care of at the cross. All the
sins of all of his people were taken care of. We're innocent
before God because of that. Blessed is the man whom God will
not impute sin. That's a blessed position. So as Zechariah is a preacher
of the gospel, He's doing what all preachers of the gospel have
done. The Lord is building a church. He's assembling a people. These
people are outcasts. These people are ring-streaked
and all kinds of folk. They are halt and maimed. They're from Babylon. They're
from Lodibar. They're from all over the world.
but they're sinners and sinners saved by grace. I will protect
them on the outside. I will be their rejoicing on
the inside, and I will tell you how much I will take care of
them. Nobody will touch them, for they are the apple of my
eye. I have regard for them, and I
will oversee their every step to glory." And that's his promise. Well, in Zechariah chapter Now
two, verse nine, for behold, I will shake my hand upon them,
and they shall be a spoil to their servants, and ye shall
know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. What a glorious thing,
the Lord of hosts, the sovereign God has sent. Sent Zechariah,
sent Peter, James, John, sent preachers of the gospel to declare
the gospel. The results is not up to them.
just as we find here, come out. And Isaiah said, oh, who has
believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed? The Lord said to Paul in Corinth,
don't be discouraged. I have much people here, and
I'm going to build my city out of them, and this is what I'm
going to do for them after they're brought into the fold. They are
the apple of my eye, and I'll lose none of them.