Sermon #1557[1] Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: Zechariah’s
Vision of Joshua
The
High Priest
Text: Zechariah
3:1-5
Subject: Christ’s Effectual
Intercession for His People
(Zec 3:1-5)
"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel
of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. (2) And
the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that
hath chosen
Introduction:
Is there anyone here who is…
·
Fallen?
·
Guilty?
·
Dirty?
·
Ashamed?
·
With tattered garments?
·
Embarrassed?
·
Under Satanic assault?
Give me your attention. I
have a message for you today.
Joshua
the High Priest
In our text Joshua the high
priest of
The
Angel of the Lord
And the Angel of the Lord standing by is our all-glorious
Savior and Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Obviously, our Savior is not
one of the angelic hosts that he created. He is called “the Angel of the Lord,” because he is Jehovah’s
Messenger, the Angel of the covenant. This One who is called, “the
Angel of the Lord” in verse
1, is Jehovah himself. We know that because he is called, “the Lord” (Jehovah) in verse 2. This
Man who is God, the Angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our almighty
Advocate and effectual Intercessor (Heb. 7:24-27; 1 John 2:1-2).
(Heb
7:24-27) "But this man, because
he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. (25) Wherefore he
is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them. (26) For such an high priest
became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
made higher than the heavens; (27) Who needeth not daily, as those high
priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the
people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."
(1
John 2:1-2) "My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world."
Proposition: This Man, who is our
Savior, who intercedes with God for us, is himself the Lord God Almighty. That
means that his intercession is effectual intercession.
Divisions: As we look at Zechariah’s
vision of Joshua the High Priest, I will call your attention to four things in
the vision. Here is…
1. A Guilty Sinner Before the
Bar of God (v. 1).
2. A Malicious Adversary Ready
to Destroy (v. 1).
3. A Mighty Advocate Anxious to
Save (v. 2).
4. A Work of Grace Effectually
Accomplished (vv. 3-5).
A
Guilty Sinner
I. The first thing seen
in this picture is a guilty sinner before the bar of God (v. 1). ― “And he
showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD.”
This Joshua, of course, is not the man
who succeeded Moses as the great deliverer of
Joshua and his sons had
taken heathen wives to themselves from among the women of
(Ezra
10:18) "And among the sons of the
priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the
sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and
Jarib, and Gedaliah."
Here, he stands before the
Lord God conscious of his guilt and sin. We read in verse 3, ― “Now Joshua
was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Lord.”
A. Here is a sinner under the conviction of sin.
I will leave it to the theologians
to argue about whether we should speak of “awakened sinners,” “convicted
sinners,” and “sensible sinners.” But I know this ― If
God Almighty ever saves you by his grace, he will convict you of your sin.
There is no salvation apart from Holy Spirit conviction. Zacchaeus
must come down, if he comes to Christ. The prodigal must come to
himself, if he comes to the father. The woman at the well must
have her sin exposed, or she will never drink water from the Well of Living
Water. The publican must be made to cry, “God, be merciful to
me, a sinner,” before he can go down to his house justified. And you
must be made to know and confess your sin in the presence of God himself, or
you cannot be saved (1 John 1:9; Ps. 32:1-5; 51:1-5).
(1
John 1:9) "If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
(Psa
32:1-5) "Blessed is he
whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
(2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no guile. (3) When I kept silence, my
bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. (4) For day and
night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of
summer. Selah. (5) I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity
have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and
thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
(Psa
51:1-5) "Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. (2) Wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (3) For I acknowledge my
transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. (4) Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou
mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou
judgest. (5) Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother
conceive me."
John Flavel once wrote, “Christ is not
sweet until sin is made bitter to us.” And Mr. Flavel was right.
Illustration: The Woman Taken in Adultery
John 8:1-12
1. Though Joshua was of the priestly line, he was a sinner still. ― He was chosen of God, but still vile.
2. He stood before the Lord in
the filthy garments of his sin.
Illustration: Roman prisoners often
appeared in court in filthy rags, hoping to move the judge to pity and obtain
win mercy from the court.
3. When Joshua stood before the
Lord, in the filth of his sin, he was speechless before the bar of
justice (Rom.
(Rom
Martin Luther once said, “The recognition
of sin is the beginning of salvation.” Then he said, “I have no other name than
sinner. Sinner is my name. And sinner is my surname.”
There is no hope for you until God graciously convicts you of your sin. I pray that he will do so. Spirit of God, by whatever means it takes, cause all here to know our sin, that we might know God’s mercy in Christ.
B.
Here is a believer, polluted
with personal sin, fallen and defiled.
This is an instructive
picture. Look at what and where Joshua was and learn something about yourself. The
believer is here described as a priest, standing before the angel of the Lord.
1. Every believer is a priest.
We have nothing but contempt for the idolatrous priesthood of Romanism, Anglicanism, and Mormonism. Every form of priestcraft invented by men is idolatrous. But we rejoice in the priesthood of the believer (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6).
(1
Pet 2:5) "Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
(1
Pet 2:9) "But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that
ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light."
(Rev
1:6) "And hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever. Amen."
The priesthood of the
believer does not mean that every believer has the right to believe whatever he wants to
believe, do whatever he wants to do, or worship God in whatever way he sees
fit. The priesthood of the believer simply means that every child of God
has direct access to the Father by the blood and righteousness of Christ, our
only High priest and Sacrifice.
·
Priests are chosen of God.
·
Priests have access to God by God’s appointed and accepted Sacrifice.
·
Priests offer sacrifices to God (
·
All the sacrifices of God’s priests are acceptable to and accepted by him.
We “offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).
(Rom
12:1-2) "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
2. Joshua, as the High Priest,
was “standing before the angel of the Lord,” that is, standing to minister before the
angel of the Lord. Every believer is a priest actively engaged in the
service and ministry of Christ.
Not all of God’s priests are pastors, preachers,
missionaries, evangelists, elders, deacons, and teachers. But all of God’s
priests are in the ministry. They all serve about the holy things of the
temple. Like Melchizedek, we are appointed priests of the Lord forever.
Whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, you are in God’s temple. ― Wherever
you are, my brother, my sister, you are at God’s altar. ― Whatever
your calling in this world is, use it for the glory of God (1 Cor.
·
Your calling is that for which God created you.
·
Your calling is that for which God has gifted you.
·
Your calling is that which God has put in your hands.
(1
Cor
(1
Cor
3. Now, notice where Joshua
stood to minister, ― “before the Angel of the Lord.” We are priests whose service is acceptable to God,
only through the Mediation of Christ.
Between us and the thrice
holy God, there is a Mediator, the Angel of the Lord. It is a blessed thing to
stand and minister before Christ!
·
God would never accept anything done by us upon its own merit.
·
But he accepts everything done by us upon the merit of Christ. ―
Our Prayers ― Our Praises ― Our Sacrifices ― Our Visitations
― A Cup Of Cold Water ― A Kind Word!
4. But, as Joshua stood before
the angel of the Lord, he was “clothed with filthy garments.”
Though he was God’s High
Priest, Joshua was fully conscious of his sins. He wore the garments of the
priesthood, but they were worn, tattered, and filthy. He was a priest; but he
was a fallen priest and he knew it. Yet, he stood before the Lord. Though he
spoke not a word, it is as though he had said –
“Foul I to the Fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, else I
die!”
Can you relate to this? I can! Often, I am
inclined not to pray, or read the Word, or preach, because I know that I am
filthy. I cannot tell you how many times I have stood here to lead you in
prayer, or song, or worship, with such a sense of personal corruption and sin
that I felt totally unfit for my Master’s service. But I have lifted my hand to
the Lord, and I cannot go back! Besides –
·
When I am weak, then I am strong.
·
When I am nothing, Christ is everything.
·
When I am filthy, I have no other place of cleansing, but to stand
before the Angel of the Lord.
Spurgeon said, “True repentance is sorrow
for sin in the presence of Christ.”
This is what I am getting at – When you are most vile, corrupt, when you are most aware of your own unfitness, do not give up your priesthood, but use it (Heb. 4:16). Wash in the laver of Christ’s blood and draw near to God (1 John 2:1-2).
(Heb
4:16) "Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need."
(1
John 2:1-2) "My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world."
A
Malicious Adversary
II.
Second,
as Zechariah relates his vision, we see a malicious adversary ready to
destroy (v. 1).
There is “Joshua the high
priest standing before the Angel of the Lord,
and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him” (v. 1).
Illustration: Satan Accusing Job
From the beginning, God made
the angels to be ministering spirits to his elect (Heb.
A.
Satan is a mighty adversary.
Our adversary, the Devil, is too smart, too strong, too crafty, too subtle for us. Any man who stands foot to foot with Apollyon fights against an enemy he cannot over whom he cannot prevail.
B.
Satan resists the conversion
of every sinner who comes to Christ.
He knows that he has but a short time; and he is furious. Whenever Christ comes to save, Satan is there to resist.
Illustration:
(Luke
(Luke
4:35) "And Jesus rebuked him,
saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in
the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not."
(Luke
9:42) "And as he was yet a coming,
the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean
spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father."
Conviction
Not Conversion
Some
of you here, I have no doubt, are under the conviction of sin. But
conviction is not salvation. Satan knows it. He will do
everything in his fiendish power to keep you from Christ. When God
convinces a man of sin, he brings that man before his bar. When he does, Satan
comes to resist.
Satan resists you at the bar
of God as your accuser. He accuses you of sin and of unbelief. He resists you
at the bar of your own conscience, and finds in a ready ally. Once he
made you think you were too good to need a Savior. Now, he tries to persuade
that you are too vile to hope for mercy.
·
He tells you “it’s too late.”
·
He says, “You’re too vile.”
·
He stirs up your inward corruptions.
·
He casts a shadow upon God’s Word, and tries to persuade you that
Christ will not really receive all who come to him.
C.
And Satan is an adversary to
every believer, too.
Satan aims at our destruction. That is what he seeks and he knows when and where we are most vulnerable.
1. He comes to accuse Joshua of
sin, when Joshua was most fully aware of his sin. ― Imagine that! Here
is Satan pleading against sin!
2. He tried to make Joshua
question the goodness and faithfulness of God, by pointing out his own
corruption.
3.
The fiend of hell may stand to resist you and he may
stand to resist me, with easy success; but he cannot resist God our
Savior (Rev. 12:10; John
(
Now listen to me. If
you are in Christ, Satan’s accusations fall on deaf ears in the court of heaven.
See that they fall on deaf ears in the court of your own conscience as
well (Rom.
(Rom
8:32-34) "He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things? (33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifieth. (34) Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
Illustration: The Wordless Book
In the teeth of your sin trust Christ. Though you are filthy, like Joshua, stand still before the Angel of the Lord.
A
Mighty Advocate
III. Now the picture gets
brighter. The third thing Zechariah describes in his vision is a
mighty Advocate anxious to save (v.
2).
(Zec
3:2) "And the LORD said unto Satan,
The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen
Here is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ making intercession for his elect. Satan is our adversary. But Christ is our Advocate. Satan is our accuser. But Christ is our Intercessor.
Joshua said nothing. Joshua
did nothing. He stood in silence before the Angel of the Lord; and the Lord
pleaded his cause. (Read Micah 7:8-9, 18-20).
(Micah
7:8-9) "Rejoice not against me, O
mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall
be a light unto me. (9) I will bear the indignation of the LORD,
because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute
judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold
his righteousness."
(Micah
7:18-20) "Who is a God like
unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the
remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he
delighteth in mercy. (19) He will turn again, he will have
compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their
sins into the depths of the sea. (20) Thou wilt perform the truth to
Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers
from the days of old."
When the Lord Jesus here
says, “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan,” he was not yielding ground to
the devil, or implying any lack of self-sufficient omnipotence. He was speaking
as Joshua’s Advocate in court, declaring the basis of divine pardon (Jude 9).
(Jude 1:9) "Yet Michael the archangel, when
contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring
against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."
Three
Reasons
Here the Angel of the Lord,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior speaks to Satan, our accuser.
And he declares three reasons why Joshua the High Priest and every
believing sinner must be cleared of all charges, three reasons why God cannot
impute sin to his elect.
A.
First, our accuser is silenced by the Word of Christ, our
Advocate and Substitute.
When “the Lord said unto
Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O
Satan,” it is as much as if he had said, “God will forgive my people
because I said it” (1 John 1:1-2).
(1
John 2:1-2) "My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world."
The merits of Christ forbid
the possibility of condemnation for his people (
B.
Second, our accuser is silenced by God’s purpose of grace
in election.
Our Advocate says, “The Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord
that hath chosen
Nothing but the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ can stop the mouths of devils and fill the mouths of God’s saints in times of extremity. “Free-will” is of little value in drought, sickness, bereavement, and storm. And your imaginary free-will is of even less value when you stand before the Angel of the Lord in filthy garments! Then you have nothing to fall back upon if you cannot fall back upon God’s eternal purpose of grace in election.
C.
Third, our accuser is silenced by the immutability of
God’s grace and by the humble state and condition of God’s elect in this world.
Our Savior looked at Joshua
standing there with his filthy, tattered garments, and said, “Is not this a brand plucked out of the
fire?”
When I read that, I thought
to myself, “What kind of an argument is that? How can that help?” Now I know
the answer. Our Lord is saying, “I will not charge my people with sin for these
two reasons:”
1. “I have saved them;
and my grace is immutable.”
The Lord Jesus, by an act of
omnipotent grace, has plucked us as firebrands from the fire. He will not cast
us back into the fire (Mal. 3:6).
2. “I am not done with
them yet.”
It is as though the Lord had
said to Satan, “What can you expect from a brand plucked out of the fire, but
filth?” – “He remembereth our frame.”
·
He who plucked us out of the fire will finish his work in us and for us (Eph.
(Eph
5:25-27) "Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27)
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish."
(Jude
1:24-25) "Now unto him that is able
to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (25) To the only wise God our
Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for
ever. Amen."
·
But he will never charge us with sin.
Effectual
Grace
IV.
There is one more thing in the text that I have to show you, though I
must be brief – Here is a work of
grace effectually accomplished (vv. 3-5).
(Zec
3:3-5) "Now Joshua was clothed with
filthy garments, and stood before the angel. (4) And he answered and
spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments
from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass
from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. (5) And I said
(Who is peaking here?― Is it
the Lord God? Perhaps. ― Is it Christ, the Angel of
the Lord? Perhaps. ― It seems to me that the one here speaking is the
prophet Zechariah. He seems to being saying, “Amen” to the Lord’s declaration
of grace. Zechariah said, “Amen. Let it be done!”), Let them set a fair mitre
upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with
garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by."
Now, give me your attention. Let me tell you one more time how it is that guilty sinners are saved by the work of God’s almighty, sovereign grace.
A. You must take your place as a guilty sinner before
the Lord Jesus Christ. ― “Now Joshua was clothed with
filthy garments, and stood before the angel” (v. 3).
Take the ground God gives you. If you take your place as a sinner before God, you will soon enough be lifted up by his grace.
B. Your sin must be taken away. ― “Take away the filthy garments from him” (v.
4).
1. You cannot take away your
sin; but Christ can.
2. Christ took our sins away
when he died (Heb. 9:27).
3. He sends his servants to
proclaim the free pardon and forgiveness of sins (Isa. 40:1-2).
4. If today, if he speaks by me
to your heart, you will experience what I am talking about – Your sins will be
taken away!
C. But this is not all. – The Lord himself will remove from you
the guilt of sin. Look at the
next line of verse 4. – “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee.” (See
Hebrews 9:12-14).
·
He did it in one day long ago (v. 9). ― “I will remove the
iniquity of that land in one day.”
·
He does it consciously when he comes to you in the saving power and
grace of his Holy Spirit by the gospel, speaking peace to your soul.
(Heb
9:12-14) "Neither by the blood of
goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us. (13) For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: (14) How much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to
God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
D. When he causes your iniquity to pass from you, then
the Lord will grant you the blessed, joyful knowledge of imputed righteousness (v.
4). ― “And I will clothe thee with
change of raiment.” This is the righteousness of Christ.
·
It covers us.
·
It keeps us warm.
·
It protects us.
·
It adorns us.
The word “raiment” is
in the plural. – Imputed and Imparted Righteousness. We are clothed with the
garments of salvation.
E. At last, the sinner God saves is given the miter of
assured acceptance (v. 5).
(Zec
3:5) "And I said, Let them set a fair
mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him
with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by."
The miter of the high Priest
had a golden plate with these words written upon it, “Holiness to the Lord” (Ex.
28:36-38).
(Exo
28:36-38) "And thou shalt make a
plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a
signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. (37) And thou shalt put it on a blue lace,
that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
(38) And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the
iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow
in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that
they may be accepted before the LORD."
When the Lord God takes away
your filthy garments, causes your iniquity to pass away, gives you the garments
of salvation, and sets the miter upon your head, crowns you as his priest and
king in Christ, he declares that you are a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
Look at what that means in Zechariah 14:20-21. ― Now, we keep the feast
of tabernacles and everything is “holiness unto the Lord.”
(Zec
14:20-21) "In that day shall there
be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the
LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. (21) Yea, every
pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all
they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in
that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of
hosts."
Application:
Now read the last line of
our text – “And the Angel of the Lord
stood by.” Stood by what? His Word! Stood by who? Joshua! He stood by to
see that…
1. Everything is done according
to his orders.
2. The object of his love meets
with no harm.
3. The sinner he saved is kept
safe and secure.
4. Bless his name forever, he
still stands by (Phil. 4:4-5).
(Phil
4:4-5) "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and
again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand."
Illustration: Ed Solomon, Harvey Carroll & B.H. Carroll
[1] Date: Sunday
Morning—February 8, 2004
Rescue, CA (Saturday PM 01/31/04)
Tape # Y-2a
Reading: Zechariah 3:1-10