True Spirituality
We are to develop a personal
and heart relationship with God,
not simply an outward expression
of our beliefs.
Here's Gene:
That Principle grows right out of the
concerns that God had that He expressed
through the prophet Zechariah.
So let me give you this background.
Three observations:
This was one of Israel's greatest problems.
That is head knowledge
and not heart knowledge.
Commitment to obedience
but not from the heart.
Which led them into disobedience.
Secondly, there was a disconnect
between the head and the heart!
Does that sound familiar?
That's very applicable, isn't it?
And thirdly, God called Zechariah
to address this issue.
And that's what we see immediately
when we go right into Zechariah chapter 1.
Now keep in mind, as we do,
that Zechariah was one of the 50,000 Jews
who return from Babylonian captivity.
In other words, Zechariah returned with Zerubbabel.
He returned with Joshua
who became the high priest.
He returned with his fellow prophet Haggai.
And of course, Haggai--that book
comes right before Zechariah.
So sequentially it's very significant
because they are contemporaries.
Haggai's prophecies really
focus on rebuilding the temple.
That's what we've seen.
But Zechariah's prophecies focus on
rebuilding the remnant's spiritual lives.
You see the difference.
Haggai addressed the rebuilding of that temple.
Being obedient to God.
But Zechariah comes along and he says:
You're rebuilding the temple
but the most important thing is
you're rebuilding your lives
in relationship to God.
And your worship of God
from a pure and a righteous heart.
So here is what Zechariah said,
right from the very beginning.
What God said through Zechariah.
God's Promise:
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius...
Now by the way, Haggai, his first
prophecy was in the sixth month.
What does this say?
It was the same year of Darius in the eighth month.
So we're only a couple months later
that Zechariah comes on the scene
and prophesies relative to their lives.
So they're a team, with a little different focus so:
...the word of the Lord came to the
prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah,
son of Iddo: ...
And this is what he says:
..."The Lord was extremely angry
with your ancestors. ...
Why? Well he goes on to explain:
...So tell the people:
This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Return to Me"-- ...
Now let me insert a little interpretation here.
God is saying through Zechariah:
Don't just return to the land.
Return to Me.
There's a big difference.
...Return to Me"--
this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts--
"and I will return to you,
says the Lord of Hosts.
If you return to Me in true worship,
then I will return to you--
now that you've come back
from Babylonian captivity.
You went into Babylonian captivity
because of sin and disobedience.
Now under My grace and sovereignty--
even through an edict from a pagan king--
you're back here.
And you have the command
to rebuild the temple.
But the most important thing
is rebuild your lives.
And that is, in essence,
what Zechariah is concerned about,
of course, through the word of the Lord.
And then he gives us a lesson from history.
That is to these people--to the remnant:
"Do not be like your ancestors;
the earlier prophets proclaimed to them:
This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds.
But they did not listen or pay attention to Me"--
this is the Lord's declaration.
In other words, don't be like them--
like your forefathers.
You're getting a fresh start.
Now the fascinating thing to me is
I think about what Zechariah said:
Return to Me and I'll return to you.
I immediately went to a New Testament book.
The book of James.
And it's interesting that James
was a half-brother to Jesus Christ.
He became the chief elder there in Jerusalem--
the church in Jerusalem.
And there were a lot of Jews
that came to Christ on the day of Pentecost
from all over the New Testament world.
And they went back and started churches.
And so James, under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, wrote a letter
to all these twelve tribes. He calls them.
That were scattered throughout
the Roman world who are now believers.
And he said something to them
that sounds almost similar
to what Zechariah said.
But now he's speaking to the church.
Obviously, a Jewish church primarily.
Because the message came first
to the Jews--James 4:7 and 8.
Just think about this in terms of
what Zechariah said under inspiration
of the Holy Spirit:
Therefore, submit to God.
But resist the Devil,
and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God,
and He will draw near to you. ...
Do you see the similarity?
Return to Me, I'll return to you.
...Draw near to God,
and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, sinners,
and purify your hearts,
[you] double-minded people!
In other words, the church of Jesus Christ
needed the same message.
Because you read the book of James,
they had some serious problems
at being hearers and not doers.
Showing favoritism.
Not demonstrating their faith with works.
Not controlling their tongue.
There was sexual immorality.
And so basically Zechariah's message
is very relevant to the church.
And James makes that
very relevant to us today.
So the Reflection and Response
question is simply this:
What must Christians do to maintain
a close relationship with the Lord
in a culture that is becoming
more and more sinful?
Well first of all, let me share
a Principle from 1st John,
Overcoming the World:
We must be on guard against worldly influences
that interfere with our love
for God and for one another.
And here's what John said:
Do not love the world or the things
that belong to the world.
If anyone loves the world,
love for the Father is not in him.
For everything that belongs to the world--
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride in one's lifestyle--
is not from the Father
but is from the world.
How do we overcome that?
Well I love Paul's words to the Philippians.
He talks about the renewed mind:
Finally brothers...
And this is really Romans 12:1 and 2--being renewed:
...whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable--
if there is any moral excellence
and if there is any praise--
dwell on these things.
As some of you know, I pastored a church--
Fellowship Bible Church North.
A number of years ago I really
passed the baton to my successor.
But I was invited back to speak.
And there was a man whose name was Matt.
I found out three years later
what happened to him
as a result of that message.
And I believe he illustrates this concept
of moving from the head to the heart
and how we can be changed
through conversion and through
the Word of God.
Here's what Matt had to say:
[Video:Matt Perez:]
After attending Chase Oaks for a few weeks,
hearing the message.
Just every week it was just God
speaking directly to me.
I had the privilege of getting to hear
Gene Getz get up and talk.
And I didn't know who Gene was.
But Gene had introduced
a Life Essentials Bible--a study Bible.
And I remember walking out of the service,
looking over at my wife, saying:
I need this. I need to get this.
And so I started reading.
And I remember getting up
about 6:15 that morning.
And you know, over the course of my journey,
over the days, the weeks, the months.
You know, that time became 6:00, became 5:45,
became 5:30, 5:00 eventually.
And I was just filled with the Spirit.
And I just wanted to continue reading.
And being able to read the Bible
with the tying of the Old Testament
to the New Testament, the Principles
that are being conveyed,
the QR reader with the videos.
So when I had questions or I needed more
because I didn't get enough.
Or maybe something didn't make sense.
I was able to watch a short little video
where Gene would come on and explain.
And help tie everything back in
so it would make sense for me
in relating it to today and today's principles.
I got right vertically that it would help me
with my relationships horizontally.
To be a better son to my Mom,
a better husband to my wife,
a better father to my son.
Friendships, brother to my sisters and my brother.
I mean, just my whole life has changed:
The music I listen to. What I want
to watch now on television or in movies.
Everything--everything has changed
in my life for the better.
And I couldn't be happier.
I still have a long ways to go.
But I'm excited because I know
it's only going to get better from here.
[Gene:]
I'm obviously very encouraged
with that testimony.
But I shared it with you because I think it
illustrates this Principle
that is so important.
And here it is. Let me just review that:
We are to develop a personal
and heart relationship with God,
not simply an outward expression of our beliefs.