GOD AND HIS CHURCH AND THE NATIONS

Zechariah #8

Zechariah 5:1-11

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

(Zechariah 5:1–4, NLT) “I looked up again and saw a scroll flying through the air. “What do you see?” the angel asked. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied. “It appears to be about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide.” Then he said to me, “This scroll contains the curse that is going out over the entire land. One side of the scroll says that those who steal will be banished from the land; the other side says that those who swear falsely will be banished from the land. And this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I am sending this curse into the house of every thief and into the house of everyone who swears falsely using my name. And my curse will remain in that house and completely destroy it—even its timbers and stones.”

(Matthew 5:17, NLT) “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

1.   GOD WILL JUDGE SIN.

(Psalm 128, NLT) “How joyful are those who fear the Lord— all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be! Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. That is the Lord’s blessing for those who fear him. May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!”

(Hebrews 11:6, NLT) “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

a.   The standard for judgment is the Bible.

b.   The flying scroll represents the Bible.

c.   One side of the scroll represents sins against God; the other side represents sins against people.

d.   Wise people judge their lives by the Bible and not by the culture.

2.   The judgment of sin is thorough and communal.

(Zechariah 5:4, NIV) “The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.”

3.   God is committed to the holiness of His people.

(Hebrews 12:29, The Message) “He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!”

a.   In thought – Matthew 5:27-30

b.   In worship – 1 Corinthians 11:29-31

(Zechariah 5:5–11, NLT) “Then the angel who was talking with me came forward and said, “Look up and see what’s coming.” “What is it?” I asked. He replied, “It is a basket for measuring grain, and it’s filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land.” Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it. The angel said, “The woman’s name is Wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy lid again. Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky. “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel. He replied, “To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.”

1.   THE MORAL CULTURE OF THE WORLD IS EITHER PROGRESSING OR REGRESSING.

(Zechariah 5:6, NLT) “It is a basket for measuring grain, and it’s filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land.”

2.   GOD RESTRAINS EVIL.

(Zechariah 5:7–8, NLT) “The heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it. The angel said, “The woman’s name is Wickedness,” and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy lid again.”

3.   BABYLON IS THE ENEMY OF GOD AND EMBRACES SIN.

(Zechariah 5:9, NLT) “Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky.”

(Zechariah 5:11, NLT) “To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.”

4.   GOD IS ABUNDANTLY GRACIOUS AND PATIENT BEFORE HE JUDGES.

(Genesis 15:16, NLT) “…for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

GROWTHWORK

1.  Read and heed the Bible

(Psalm 32:8, NLT) “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

2.   Judge yourself so that God doesn’t have to.

3.   When it seems evil is winning do not be discouraged or give in.

(Revelation 22:12, NLT) “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”

4.   When God disciplines me, he is protecting me.

(Hebrews 12:6, NLT) “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”