Golden oil for light and power
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Zech. 4
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Golden oil for light and power (Zech. 4)
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…
From the last but one book in the Old Testament, Zechariah.
How thankful I was for that introduction this afternoon to the subject of this evening,
the fourth chapter of Zechariah.
And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man that is wakened out
of his sleep and said unto me, What seest thou?
And I said, I have looked, and behold, a candlestick, all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it,
and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps which are upon the top thereof,
and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof.
So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord?
Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be?
And I said, No, my Lord.
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel,
saying, Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Who art thou, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.
And he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace, unto it.
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house,
that was the Lord's house, his hands shall also finish it.
And thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
For who hath despised the day of small things?
For they shall rejoice and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.
With those seven they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Then answered I and said unto him, What are these two olive trees,
upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
And I answered again and said unto him, What be these two olive branches,
which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be?
And I said, No, my lord.
Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, the two sons of oil,
that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
My subject tonight is Golden Oil for Light and Power.
Zechariah wrote in a very difficult day.
And I wouldn't like you to think that by any means I know even as much as I ought about prophecy.
But I do note that Zechariah wrote in a day like ours,
a day of small things.
In spite of the great advances in the last few years,
of technical knowledge and science,
for the people of God it's a difficult day.
I'm also well aware, and would like to make it clear at the beginning,
that Zechariah really wrote about the dear earthly people of God.
And that he had them in mind throughout, perhaps.
But I submit that because he wrote in a day like ours,
right in the center of this beautiful book,
there's a message for us.
There's a kernel.
As there always is, even in the scripture,
there are nuggets of gold hidden in all else that is written.
There they are.
They need looking for.
All good things need looking for, and need our attention.
But there they are.
It's not impossible to find them.
But what a sweep Zechariah takes.
He starts writing about the oppressors of the people of God.
But he takes an onward look, which only God himself can do.
But God is so gracious and good,
that he loves to open the windows of heaven and pour a blessing down.
But he loves also to throw back the shutters and anoint our eyes,
so that we too can see as he sees into the future,
insofar as we are able, which isn't very far compared with God.
But Zechariah therefore writes first of all about the oppressors.
And then he takes a look right down the ages,
to far beyond the day in which we live.
And most theological students look upon, I think, look upon Zechariah
as, well, in the past, in the dusty past,
probably not to be understood, but known.
His main theme is the future.
When this same Jesus, that some of his loved ones
had the mortification of sea, leave their very midst,
it wasn't that he vanished out of their sight as just before,
but here they saw him go, in physical fact, rise and into the heavens.
He did the kind of thing that men with their expensive rockets,
that are only just learning how to do,
with a lot of clouds of dust and fire and flame and failure.
But Jesus just went.
My dear young brother and sister,
if you're intrigued with the advances of this world,
I'll show you in the Bible even I,
things far more marvellous far long ago.
And they're only a portent of things to come,
because the angel said this same Jesus,
which you have seen going to heaven,
shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go.
Notice the particular precision.
And Zechariah painted this scene.
It hasn't happened yet.
May not for quite a while, but it will.
The first half of Zechariah is what the writers call apocalyptic.
It is a series of visions.
There's no other minor prophet that had a series of visions.
The major prophets, yes.
But I noticed that Zechariah had a sort of compression
of Daniel stroke revelation.
It's a prece of the wonders that one reads of
in those truly wonderful books.
Let me just try and outline them.
Bear with me as I try to pull into a few words
so great a subject.
Seven visions I make it.
They can look like eight, but there were seven.
The first thing that Zechariah saw was,
apart from his guide on the horse standing beneath the myrtle trees,
Don't let us ever say that the Bible is a dull, dark, dry book.
What a picture it calls up of the rider
sitting on a red horse beneath the myrtle trees.
This was the guide that Zechariah saw.
But behind him was the vision of three riderless horses
standing there in a row.
To Zechariah they meant power.
The horse was the fastest thing that man knew in the way of transport,
and I've been in transport all my life,
the fastest thing in the way of transport
until about a hundred and fifty years ago,
till the steam engine.
It was also powerful, the most powerful thing
he could stride when he went to conquer.
And the scripture uses the horse as a symbol of senseless, brutish power.
Oh, they're lovely creatures, but they don't think very well.
They're full of power, but they need direction.
They are brute beasts.
And there arrayed before Zechariah was a picture,
in vision form, of the oppressors of God's people,
how he must have felt it.
There were really four great oppressors, as you know,
four great powers that were used of God
to bring to heel his own chosen people.
That's a solemn thought.
That's what made it a day of small things for them.
We might bow our heads and weep
as we think that we too, the people of God,
have needed the government of God
to bring us to a day of small things.
I'm afraid this is so.
Babylon had gone when Zechariah wrote.
Persia was there. Persia seemed kinder.
It was followed by Greece and followed by Rome.
And there they stood.
Next, Zechariah saw, number two,
he saw four horns which had been pushing about
the people of God, the four great empires
that God had permitted to oppress his people
and rule them.
But there's a hint of deliverance
attached to this picture that Zechariah saw
in that four carpenters, four smiths or artificers,
I like the word carpenters,
for I remember that the blessed Saviour
had that craft as a man.
But God had his carpenters to cut down the horns.
The world may never boast, it may boast,
but it's an empty boast,
that it has the situation in hand.
It never, never has.
God has his servants who, in due course,
will cut down every kind of power
except that which comes from above.
I've had a third vision I like.
It's a man with a measuring line measuring Jerusalem.
Measuring Jerusalem for new garments,
the garments of salvation.
More than a hint of future blessing here.
And then comes the fourth vision
which is of Joshua, the high priest in filthy garments.
I don't know any other person but God
writing a book about his own doings
who would be so frank as that
to say that his high priest
stood there in filthy garments
but our God calls a spade a spade
and he calls a sinner a sinner
however high positioned he may be.
But dear Joshua was cleansed in the vision.
It's a lesson in cleansing.
We heard about that this afternoon and I was so glad.
It's only the precious, precious blood of Jesus
shed on Calvary's cross that cleanses sinners.
There is no other way to it.
And if this is the first time you've been in here
let me ask you to listen whilst I say
that there is no possible other way of getting rid of sin or sins
than by the precious, precious blood of Jesus.
But here buried in the Old Testament prophecy
we have a vision which shows
that it was possible for God, and God only
to cleanse this man.
And after cleansing, after the vision of the cleansing
you realise I'm skipping these with almost indecent haste
I rely upon your past knowledge or your future reading
to put them into perspective.
But after this vision, vision number five
we get something which is our subject tonight
and the subject is witness and power for service.
Light for witness, power for service.
And then another vision, number six.
This is unpleasant again.
After such a seeming step to deliverance
we get a roll of judgment, a flying roll
swift, written, devastating judgment
against wickedness.
Wickedness portrayed visually to Zechariah
by a woman sitting in an ephah
with a lead weight on top
all with their significance
but suddenly as you translate them in the light
of all scripture you find that that's indeed a symbol
of commercial and moral wickedness held in check
and then the law produced for judgment.
Well now this day of grace is indeed a day of grace
God hasn't finished with this world
and there's the awful thought that judgment
is now held over this world.
It's a written, substantiated promise
that it will be judged.
Hence of course the glory of the day in which we live
small as it may be, great is the opportunity
to escape impending judgment.
Seven and last, four chariots
four objects of power
four illustrations of power and oppression
Zechariah was not to conclude his visions without a glimpse
that as at the beginning there were horsemen
so at the end there will be reinforced horsemen
four great nations
with all their power cast perhaps
into the hands of one great ruthless power
the revived power of Rome.
This is future.
This is more of a scourge to God's own people
than anything that has yet been
including the Nazi ovens
and sharply and shortly at the end of chapter six
at the end of that vision there comes
and it gives place to another kingdom
Christ's kingdom, Christ's kingdom
but it's a kingdom of power
and Zechariah, Zechariah's pictures
the vision he was given
the story all before him in living action closes
and Zechariah finishes his book with even more words
of the usual prophetic description
warning, promise, coaxing
by now, chapter four
right in the middle of these wonderful visions
is our message for tonight
Joshua the high priest had been cleansed
God loves to cleanse
what amazes me is that he offers in this day and age
to everyone free cleansing
marvelous cleansing
clean every wit
the vilest sinner can be
if he will come to God for cleansing
but so many of us leave it at that
we get cleansed in the sense of being forgiven
our sins washed away
and we relax
instead of course
of going on to work
and to witness
and therefore I believe chapter four begins
that the angel came and waked me
he waked me up
how it reminds us of Paul who said
it is high time to awake out of sleep
even the sleep of those who are relaxed
because they are forgiven
who are now on their way to heaven
clean every wit
far are we to worry about
isn't it a delightful, wonderful thing
to have got such a salvation
nay, such a saviour
let us rest in him
let us enjoy him
let us sit and meditate
yes
but let's wake up and get on as well
and he says he needed waking up
even Zechariah
he was awake as a man out of deep sleep
and then he saw
he saw a golden candlestick
a lampstand
and it seems to me as we read
that he was completely bewildered
by the glory of it
it was a sevenfold, of course, a lampstand
with seven lamps
it was typically Jewish
but you do remember, don't you
that the revelation starts with a picture of a lampstand
and a sevenfold testimony
and say our brothers in our bible readings
and the various assemblies here
represented as light bearers
witnesses for God in this world
tah
but it's a sorry story
even in the revelation
at the end of the New Testament
with all the blessing that's been poured out
on the people of God
it's a sorry story
and so it ever will be a sorry story
when once we take over
that's why I'd love to just direct my attention
stand along with me, your attention once again
to this, this Enzericher
this golden lampstand
why golden?
it's the metal that is used in scripture
time and time and time again
from the early chapters of the
Genesis to Revelation
depicting the shining
imperishable
attractive
expensive
character of God
inestimable
tah, they say, there have been more
valuable metals discovered now
there are more expensive things than gold
I notice that the best countries
are still on the gold standard
that it still rules
the banking world
that it's the countries that have
they make gold in guts, in actual fact
in their bank cellars
that are still down the top
but let's have done with that, I wouldn't care
if lead took its place in the world
in the scripture it's gold
and it always speaks of divinity
and this witnessing lampstand
had the hallmark of divinity on it
and what can that be?
it was a picture to Zechariah
it was a picture to him of the future glory
of God's earthly people
who one day were really going to have
the hallmark of the holiness of God
stamped on them, they are
but has it no message for us tonight
cleansed?
yes it has
it's the assembly
we may take it as a picture
let's take it as a picture
I'll take the responsibility for suggesting it
a picture of the real assembly on earth
without the labels
without the divisions
without the church names
the assembly made up of every cleansed soul
but you say you can't see them
God can
and this is God's vision
and the sooner we begin to get a sight
and I mean a real and practical sight
of how God sees his people in this world
the sooner we shall come a little nearer
to fulfilling his desires
on testimony, on witness
but this was something
there was something very unusual
about this lampstand
there weren't any obvious priests
there was no man creeping up
and pouring oil into the dishes
there was no man snuffing the flame
to see that it burned
no, no, it wasn't left to man
scientific development
there it was
every separate light
fed by seven golden pipes
pipes that in themselves shone
with the divine hallmark
the service pipes were even of God
and what fed the pipes?
I happen to be connected in some way
with a vast importation of oil
in spite of all the power of all kinds
oil is required in this country
in greater and greater and greater quantities
how do they get it?
they bore into the earth
they pull it out to make a terrific cost
they even bore into the sea
to pull it out at terrific cost
they push it through their man-made refineries
until they've got it to the point
when it will light
and when it will explode with power
oh, it's an important commodity
but this oil
or this oil
it came naturally
there were olive trees producing it
by a means that man couldn't invent
he made the olive trees
there they were
there they were constantly producing
secretly
from a secret source
by a means that man couldn't describe
or begin to understand
but they produced it all the time
poured it through the pipes
into the candlestick
there was the flame of witness
Zechariah had some questions to ask
I think by this time so have you
I certainly have
but Zechariah was told
these are the two witnesses
I don't know whether Zechariah understood
but we should understand
because in the 11th chapter of Revelation
in I think verse 4
yes
there are those two last day witnesses
in about the time that Zechariah was being given a vision of
those witnesses for God who suffered so much
they are described as the two olive trees
the sons of oil
the reference you know
I can see brothers nodding their heads
yes the reference is there
I feel a little safer now
but there it is
in the word of God
what's that got to do with us tonight
justice
justice as I see it
that
you and I
you and I
can be
well we are
we have been placed into the
onerous position of witnesses
for God in this world
and
where are we going to get the power from
where are we going to get
the light from
well later on
we come to
the fact
that not only was the candlestick of gold
not only were the pipes of gold
but the oil itself was gold
golden oil it says
you look at it
verse 12
golden oil
what does that mean
well it's the holy spirit of God
not just oil
but golden oil
God himself
the holy spirit of God
with the hallmark of divinity
on himself if we may reverently say so
and on everything he does
my anxiety tonight
is that I am dull how I need it
that any witness I am able to make
that any work I am able to do for my saviour
having been wakened up
after being cleansed
should be in the power
of the holy spirit
that I shouldn't depend upon
man's inventions
in my witness
of what I really do for God
depend upon it
that though we may use what man invents
and God I believe uses them
God could use these things tonight
but he doesn't depend on these things
for the result
and neither should we
our dependence should be
on that which we cannot manufacture
on that which we don't take out of the earth and refine
but that which we receive
by the mysterious roots down
in the earth
well here of course
I told you that Zechariah
was writing for God's earthly people
he got an earthly vision
but you can draw your golden oil
from your source of power
in the place where your roots are down
and your roots are in heaven
your roots are above
what are your roots?
what are mine?
my affections
there is nothing more important
in my being than my affections
my body will
crumble and disappear
it's already started
and
my name will perish in this world
but my affections
especially when I've been cleansed
why they're fastened
and rooted in my saviour
and he's in heaven
he's a heavenly person
down the power
well
the amazing thing is
that we've each one got
a well within us now
like the olive tree
and the oil came up
was produced
nobody asked from where
there was no oil in the
it wasn't mineral oil
the olive tree was producing
from the earth
it produced olive oil
ah my dear fellow believer
what a lovely thought
that God has been pleased
to place in you
a fountain
springing up
the Holy Spirit himself
in dwelling you
there's a golden rule
not only golden oil in this chapter
because to one of the questions
the answer came back
not by might
nor by power
but by my spirit
saith the Lord
that's the golden rule
we hear it often in our meetings
but here it is in the scripture
this is where they get it from
the fourth chapter of Zechariah
this is what was spoken into the ears
of the listening
wondering question asking prophet
knowest thou not
the divine message you kept saying
don't you know what it means
let me tell you
the message of all this
that you see before you
is that
you don't move by
human might
your own power
but by my spirit
that's the motive force
if it needs the oil
to burn the light
it needs the oil to
drive the service
this before men
ever thought of using oil
for power
God speaks of it
my spirit saith the Lord
is what gets things done
in the sphere
of my things
it's a wonderful thing
I dare say you've had
every one of you here tonight has had this experience
you
try to live the gospel
but you speak the gospel
you explain it to the little child
in the Sunday school class
you see him and her grow up through the Bible class
you pour the words of life
into their ears
and you feel
that while you ask them the questions
and they know all the answers
if you ever had one
write to you and say
dear sir
I've stopped coming
I know it means a lot to you
but although
I understand it all
it means nothing to me
it
it doesn't strike
what's happened
what's the need
something from above
you can spend your life laying the fire
but until someone
strikes the match there's no
warmth, no power
no flame
and only God
he has reserved to himself
the right and the ability
to do this
so we need to bear this in mind
that we must have
the golden oil
flowing through
flowing through and must rely upon it
for the power
we need
at the end
of verse 10 it is
talk an awful lot about Zerubbabel
in this chapter
we haven't time to go back
and see who
Zerubbabel was
but he was God's servant
and he was God's servant
who had the task of doing something
not just learning something
not just enjoying something
not just meditating on something
but he was the man
who was to build
the house of God
it's a wonderful picture
of that future servant
of that present servant, our Lord Jesus Christ
who will be seen
operative in this world
in great power
but though he's in heaven
he has his servants here
and Zerubbabel
was the man
to whom the
prophet was speaking
and whom Zechariah was sent
to encourage
strengthen, correct
put on the right way
and keep going
and
this message came to him
who hath
despised
the day of small
things
who has despised it
oh I know it's a day of small
things
but don't make the mistake of despising it
of saying
what can you expect
in a day of small things
for they shall rejoice
and see the plummet
in the hand of Zerubbabel
normally it was
hanging on a wall, keeping it straight
as the builders straightened it
but those who saw him start
shall see him finish
and they'll see him with the plummet
in his hand, no longer swinging
doing its job, the work finished
in other words, the work finished
God will finish
his work, the astonishing
thing is that he will
use people like
you
to do his work
golden pipes
with golden oil
channels for his blessing
knowing where it comes
from, seeing it on its
way to the light
or to the engine
to keep it going
I can't finish
without drawing
attention
to something
at the end of Zechariah
and that is
where Zechariah
speaks about
the coming
of the Lord
not the coming
for us
if you will
flick over the page to the 14th
chapter
this is
additional to what
I have before me
it is so sweet to me
I must say it
chapter 14
verse 4
his feet
that's
the feet of the servant of the Lord
shall stand in that
day upon the Mount of Olives
the very place where he went up from
he will come back to
there will be
which is before
Jerusalem etc.
describes its place
and it says
half of the mountain shall be moved
half to the north and half to the south
it will be a powerful coming
for our Lord Jesus Christ
and it's the coming
beyond the time
that we are expecting him
to come for us
this is his coming into this world
to act
for God
verse 5
at the end of verse 5
the Lord my God
shall come
and all the saints with thee
will all be there
you've got to turn over
to the
Thessalonians
the first of Thessalonians chapter 4
which so many brethren reserve
for reading at funerals
in spite of the fact that it says
therefore
comfort one another with these words
wherefore
encourage one another with these words
what words
the fact that
every one of us here tonight
every one that
we have mournfully
put into the grave for the present
will
rise to meet
the Lord in the air
and go with him
why
why in all conscience
should there be such a spectacular
removal of all
dear Christians
and by the way
just as our scientific
friends say
that unless man
can rendezvous in space
he'll never get to the moon
so unless
you rendezvous
in the air
one day with the Lord
you'll never get to heaven
it's a wonderful
you and I are heading for it
spectacular and powerful
whether we've
fallen asleep
if we have we'll be raised again
we'll be linked with those
that are alive and remain
and we'll be caught up with the Lord
in the air
but why
so that
Zechariah's fifth verse
in the end can be fulfilled
Zechariah said
he's coming
he's coming down here
he's coming to rule
to set everything right
but he'll have his saints with him
oh how he loves us
to link us with the greatest
events not only
of all time in this world
but of all eternity too
to link us with it
personally with himself
or doesn't it make us want
to serve him better
to let our light shine
and to see
that it's not by
human might
not by any power from anywhere else
but by my spirit
the golden oil
saith the Lord …