BE NEAR TO US OH GOD
The Book of Zechariah #4
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Woodland Church
“What comes to mind when we think of God is the most important thing about us.” –A. W. Tozer
(Zechariah 2:1–5, NLT) “When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked. He replied, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.” Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. The other angel said, “Hurry, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!”
1. The vision is in the first five verses.
2. The application is in verses 6-13.
3. The measuring line has a lot of meaning.
(Verse 1) “I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.”
a. God is getting ready to do something big!
(Deuteronomy 16:15, CEV) “The Lord will give you big harvests and make you successful in everything you do. You will be completely happy, ….”
b. Jerusalem belongs to the Lord.
(Verse 2) “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”
c. The Lord will accomplish his purposes for Jerusalem.
(Zechariah 2:12, NLT) “The land of Judah will be the Lord’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city.”
4. If you don’t understand what God is doing, ask!
(Zechariah 2:2, NLT) “Where are you going?” I asked.”
5. Jerusalem will grow beyond Zechariah’s grandest hopes and dreams.
(Zechariah 2:4, NLT) “The other angel said, “Hurry, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls.”
a. Don’t draw the lines too narrowly in your life.
b. Our Lord has other sheep.
(John 10:16, NLT) “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
c. The enormous immigration to Israel is a prophetic sign.
6. The Lord will be the protection of Jerusalem.
(Zechariah 2:5, NLT) “Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!”
(Genesis 3:24, NLT) “After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
(2 Kings 6:17, NLT) “Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.”
(Exodus 40:34-38, NLT) “Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. … The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.”
(2 Chronicles 7:1, NLT) “When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.”
7. God is our source of protection, provision, and prosperity.
(Zechariah 2:4, NLT) “The other angel said, “Hurry, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls.”
a. God is inviting us to draw near to Him.
“Be near, oh God, Be near, oh God of us, Your nearness is to us our good.” Be Near, Shane & Shane
b. The glory of God is His presence among us.
God is over all things, under all things, outside all; within but not enclosed; without but not excluded; above but not raised up; below but not depressed; wholly above, presiding; wholly beneath, sustaining; wholly without, embracing; wholly within filling. Hilderbert of Lavardin (11th Century)
c. The glory of God is our protection.
d. The glory of God brings us His grace.
e. The glory of God is our present and future hope.
(Proverbs 18:10, NLT) “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.”
(1 John 4:4, NIV) “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
(Isaiah 54:17, NIV) “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.”