King Over All the Earth - Fr. Stephen Lake

It's a great pleasure to be with you all.

Again, I was here a few weeks ago and this week I also brought

my wife with me and my wife. Christina is back there with our

son Donovan. We take you.

Yes, they deserve a round of hearty Applause.

Normally we would be a Church of the Resurrection and a Sunday

morning where I'm part of the clergy team there.

If you don't know me, my name is Steve like and but I'm delighted

to be here and help serve you all this morning.

It's great to be here. Once upon a time, there was a

thing called a global pandemic. And there was a man there are

those who call him, Jim, who found himself in the midst of

it. Jim was leading his rather

humdrum life when the pandemic hit, but he quickly found

himself in what seemed like a rather favorable position,

despite the Raging pandemic around him, he could work from

home, he got a pandemic, pay raises and bonuses to keep him

from Quitting his job, he got stimulus checks from the

government. So, flush with new cash and sick

of the same old, same old at home.

He bought a new 4K TV for those long, pandemic nights and then

took out a loan and added. A new addition to his home And a

few months later as things open back up, he put an expensive

vacation on his credit card. We earned it.

He thought, after all we've been through he assured himself and

his wife, Jessica that everything will be fine.

After all, his retirement investment account was growing

in Leaps and Bounds as Market soared flush, with stimulus

cash. And he thought I've got a good

paying job. We can easily pay off this

additional debt. or so, he thought Until one day, the

pandemic waned life seemed to return to more or less normal

but Jim's company now faced desperate circumstances High

interest rates and soaring inflation kit.

The bottom line. Hard Jim came to work one Friday

morning. Sorry, his boss said you can go

home early. And not come back.

Initially Jim was too proud to tell his wife, he had been laid

off and he had not really kept her up to speed on the family

finances. Either things were looking a

little more grim. So we went away on a weekend

getaway with his buddies, he needed some time to think to

process to decompress and connect with his friends,

especially at a time like this, they went to a buddy's cabin in

the woods and right down the road from a newly-opened casino.

Feeling lucky and a bit touched by the spirit, Jim tapped into

the last bit of his family savings to ante up at the

blackjack table. A good night or two.

Here he thought and a big chunk of those debts will be paid off.

or so, we thought until he lost and he lost and he drank, and he

drank until on the drive, back to the cabin, he saw in his

rearview mirror, those unmistakable flashing lights,

his foolishness and his sins suddenly and not surprisingly

caught up with him. In a sudden movement.

In many ways, Jim is a parable for what Israel had become in a

time of the Prophet Zechariah for many folks today, maybe for

our society, in general, and for The Human Condition in Israel's

day, they had foolishly squandered the great provision

of the Lord in a return to the land from Exile and a rebuilding

of the Temple. They had foolishly and sinfully,

followed false prophets. Who told them in essence that

the bill would never come? Do you could live life as you

wished? And they sinfully succumbed to

the idolatrous worship of Canaanite Gods, which

incidentally, offering featured Temple sex, a much more enticing

form of worship than of the Lord God?

Yahweh, No Doubt. Today.

How many folks, and how much of our society, in a way finds

itself in a similar situation? We're self-indulgence has

replaced. Responsibility.

Were squandered opportunities wasted on Comforts betting.

That the bill would never come due.

Having bowed at the idols of material success and pleasure.

It's easy to fall into that trap.

It's easy for all of us. Indeed to prioritize the

material and the Indulgence of ourselves to deceive ourselves

and maybe others around us at least for a season.

That destruction is not around the bend.

She said here this morning, is there any part of you that looks

like Jim? If so, I have some bad news for

you. It's probably going to get worse

before it gets better. For the gyms of this world.

That's a sad truth. but, The prophet Zechariah and I'm here.

Join with him in telling you that there is one good step, one

Surefire bet, you can make this day that will inevitably lead

you to better times. you can embrace the failure in the pain

and confess your sins in the Lord will forgive And as ours

reading from Zakaria tells us the Lord is all about dealing.

With people stuck in precisely that kind of trap.

In fact, as we open our reading starting in chapter in Chapter

14, verse 1, the children of Israel are they have been

plundered from the Invaders invading countries around them.

He knew not what to do. When would this end these

Invaders were sent in judgment for their sin.

But the Lord is a god of mercy and forgiveness and he provides

a way of Escape for those who truly trust him.

We still May face the consequences are

responsibilities for our failure, but the good news and

Zechariah 14 is that's not the end of the story.

For a season. We may find ourselves amidst the

ruin of our own choices at the Lord.

God is good. He is faithful.

And just, not only to forgive your sins, but to deliver those

who confess and return to him in place of a finite, human bank

account that will inevitably run dry.

We have in the Lord Jesus Christ, an infinite bank account

hope And God's faithfulness in spite of what we do.

Amen. Praise the Lord.

I think that's good news and Zechariah 14 tells us here for

ways in which we can draw upon that bank account of Hope and

faithfulness for ways that God himself wants to replace the

desperation of our situation with a hope and confidence in

him. Way, number one and you load in

our passage. If you're looking at the text

there in or in our bulletin, it's punctuated by a series of

on that day, each one kind of marks out another element and

another depth to, which the Lord's salvation and deliverance

will come to those who face potentially desperate

situations. Way number one on that day.

You read in verses 3 through 5. The Lord leads his people out.

The Lord himself comes in Deliverance.

You might feel stuck Wherever You Are.

But the Lord knows and he cares and he is coming.

What's really striking In this passage is that the Lord.

Does it just like send his angels to deliver people, or he

doesn't raise up. A mighty leader like, say Moses

to help deliver his people out of Israel, of the prophetic

literature. In the Old Testament.

This one is stunning. The Lord himself comes At the

end of every intervention that the Lord in the Old Testament,

has on behalf of the children of Israel, which in case you

haven't read, it happens a lot. The Lord himself comes.

In the midst of their unfaithfulness, he is faithful

and he is present. God normally chose keep people

to do his work. But if the last it chose him,

sell his only begotten son. This is the great and glorious

mystery of the Gospel. Preached right here, in the

heart of the prophetic, literature of the Old Testament,

none other than the Lord God himself, can truly save you.

even if the consequences you are languishing in or what you

probably deserve, Lord, Jesus Christ goes before you sending

himself as your savior and deliverer.

A great example of this in my own life was when I foolishly as

a teenager. One night took the car out for

an ill-advised drive with some friends of mine which ended

again with the headlights going like this, in the rearview

mirror and a cop threatening to slap me with not one, not two,

but three tickets for drag racing.

Another car for running a red light and for speeding through

the town of we knew annoy true story.

They arrived for us to go to court and hear this case and my

Dad decided to come with me. Which, you know?

Yeah. I'm seeing Rick there.

Gulping. That could be a gulp of moment.

This was the best moment you can imagine.

Because my dad showed up and when it was time for me to come

and speak to the judge. My dad said judge, if you

wouldn't mind, I'd like to say a word or two.

A, my dad in effect took it all on himself.

I got court supervision. The tickets eventually went

away. But I had come to my dad and my

moment of need I had confessed dad, I did it.

A my dad showed up like a figure of Jesus in my life to advocate

for me. Whatever your circumstances,

that's what the Lord is here to do.

He makes away and what was amazing in that core experience

was just to have the presence of my dad there with me.

What he wasn't there to condemn, her judge me, but he was there

to advocate for me is presence, made all the difference in the

world and so too. Does the Lord's presence in your

life in the context here though of Zechariah 14, what the Lord

also does is he says he stands on the Mount of Olives and makes

a cleavage in the Mount of Olives.

Tours of Valley opens up. And you might say, well, what's

the big deal with that? Well, if you know your Jerusalem

geography, the Mount of Olives is kind of an impediment to

anybody who would escape a plundering invading Army to your

East Side, everyone can't get around the Mount of Olives fast

enough. Quick enough to get out of town.

But what Zakaria the image here is of the Lord is going to come

here, if it requires separating the Mount of Olives into and

opening up, a flat Valley for us to walk through, he's going to

do it. Just like you know, you remember

when he separated the Seas of the Red Sea, we walk through on

dry ground, remember that? You see the Lord's testimony of

his faithfulness is self-evident because all of his acts for his

people are just like that. In our sin, we didn't deserve

yet. The Lord comes and he dies upon

a cross and takes it all the sin of the world upon himself.

So, whatever your situation is, we have got Red Sea cleave

cleavage in the Mount of Olives. And across standing on a hill

outside of Jerusalem. to tell us that the Lord is about making

ways where it seems impossible Final point to notice in this

first one its key is we're going a little more depth here.

The other ones are quicker, trust me, but notice at the end

of this in verse 5 Pete the Lord himself comes.

He's going to lead his people out.

He says, for all the holy ones with him, this is key.

Don't overlook this part. Because the Lord's salvation is

not just free cheap Grace for you.

It comes at the cost of true repentance.

True amendment of life in the context of Israel, there were

those who had succumbed to the idolatrous worship to the way of

their age. Was that Remnant, that righteous

remnant. if you truly trust and put your faith in the Lord to

where you step forward, trusting in Him and obeying him, The

Lord's. Deliverance is a sure as the day

is in the morning. So the message here is clear,

are you one of the Holy ones? Have you sought that forgiveness

from the Lord for your foolishness or sins or from

others who you might have wrong or who you might have impacted?

That's a good practical way to line up and get ready for the

Deliverance of the Lord, on the day of the Lord.

Second on the day of the Lord comes with what is amazing here.

A miraculous light, not just the light of the Dawn, but a light

that will illuminate the night as well.

When the Lord comes it, often comes with miraculous

Supernatural power, even over the forces of nature where

again, Things seemed impossible like Red Seas in your way.

All of a sudden there is a way. And this way, that the prophet

Zechariah stresses, here is a way of light and illumination,

indeed where the presence of the Lord is there is light.

So if you confess your sins and you are reunited with him his

presence, his power will bring you that True Light.

We in our family had a reminder of that this week when a family

member in our extended family have been going through a really

difficult local time and lacked resources and provision to help

care for one of their immediate family members.

But we received the wonderful word that this week, the exact

amount of money they needed for this person's care came through,

in an unexpectedly, large bonus at work.

Praise the Lord. Light in a dark place where it

seems hopeless mer Miracle. Sometimes really, truly do

happen but I can tell you, maybe you think, hey, look, I've never

had a miracle in my life and I kind of think that may be

subject to your own interpretation of events.

Let me just tell you one Miracle that's available to us each and

every day. And it's namely the miracle of

the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

When we turn to the word of God, which the psalmist tells us is a

lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Have you ever had that experience?

Where if you sit with the word of the Lord, with the scripture,

open it suddenly illuminates, the darkness in your own light,

that's a miracle that's waiting for you.

Whether you've experienced it or not, you can go back to the word

of God and you will find light or another way to experience

that miraculous light is through prayer.

I always pray with my journal open.

Ready to grab that idea. That comes to me because I

sometimes get the most amazing Illumination in prayer you know,

before it flits away from my ADHD addled brain.

But prayer, again, another free access point here to the miracle

of light. Here's the key.

Take away your light might not come in the form of miraculous

provision of resources, like it did for this family member of

mine, but it might come from the inner illumination of the word

of God or through prayer, through listening, more deeply

to the Lord. To the one who saved in your

moment of need. And when you do that, when you

buy your actions confess, hope in God, salvation through his

word and through prayer, I can guarantee you the light of his

presence and illumination will come.

As surely as the dawn of the day.

There's an one more on that day in our passage on that day.

Number three. And this is really the Glorious

high point of the entire chapter.

It's maybe even the Glorious high point of the entire book of

Zechariah, as it turns out, it's the promised coronation of the

Lord as King in verses 8 and 9. Note here.

How? It's again, a Messianic promise

fulfilled. Not by some servant of the Lord

who is someone else other than the Lord.

But the Lord himself. Now, is King over all the Earth.

This is the coronation that is being foretold at the very end

of days, but it's a coordination event that happened on another

Hill outside of Jerusalem. Where is the Lord Jesus wore his

kingly crown in terms of a crown of thorns.

And what's wonderful In this passage is that the coronation

of the King, right? When he the king is crowned and

seated upon his throne, that is the heralding always in

political life as well as in scripture of the perfect union.

Now of justice and peace, come home.

Where there was disorder and Chaos, there now is Justice and

rule of law where there was need and, and people were homeless,

and and desperate in their circumstance.

There was peace and true, Comfort return to the land, and

it symbolized here. In Zacharias, wonderful

prophecy. Ask streams of Living Water that

flow from Jerusalem to the East and to the West feeding

continually, to great seas. One on the under the West, the

Mediterranean and the other on the east.

You see this King that we have. Himself is living water.

He himself is true, man. I come down from heaven, true

provision. And so the idea here is just a

spectacular one. That this kingship, which has

already initially come in the life, the suffering, the death,

the burial and resurrection of the Lord, Jesus is still coming

in its fullness and it is a source of unending provision and

comfort symbolized by this living water that never ends.

In other words, when you in the midst of your situation, feel

hopeless. Do you ever just stop?

And realize that the king who once came in first century

Palestine, he's coming again. Do you hold on to that hope and

his ultimate coronation? The day, when everything truly

is going to be set, aright do in the midst of it, get to present

minded on your own circumstance and not see the way that

scripture always. And it has this faithful Rhythm.

It happens throughout the Old Testament fulfilled in the new,

through the New Testament. Now, into our own day, the

dynamic of the now, and the not yet the harbinger of things to

come, and it's great. It's great stuff.

To whatever your circumstances. Don't be too burdened by it.

It's your kid just bask in the glow that Lord.

You have done this before you're going to do it again.

Amen. Is that is what's going to

happen. That's what's going to be.

Our Fate is to dwell with our king forever.

And it brings us to our concluding on that day at the

very end in verses 20 and 21. You may find it a little strange

there where there's talk of pots and cooking vessels and you're

like, okay pots and bowls, I don't get it.

What do you what do you kitchen utensils?

Have to do with this right? It doesn't make much sense.

If you don't understand the context, We're pots were the

most common kind of mundane cooking vessel used to prepare

like the sacrificial meat for instance, offered on in

sacrifice, in the temple. But bowls were sacred

instruments of worship where you could bring forward sacrifices

lamps as well as incense and other sacrifices, by the way.

It would be big bowls of it, but right, just FYI.

But what's interesting, what's going on here?

In this, In this passage, it says, pots will now be used as

bowls. Something that's profane kind of

common in ordinary on that day will be turned into something

sacred. You get what their lord is

saying here? The Lord is going to completely

restore that which is ordinary broken and profane is going to

transform it into something, wonderful.

A situation that Zacharias people found themselves in was

desperate. But even in the midst of that,

the Lord's presence is going to provide them ways of

transforming desperate, things into things, why there's

something new. I myself went through a few

years ago, a pretty desperate time of my life where I found

myself, unemployed. And I can tell you some of the

sit ordinary things, like, getting up in the morning and

praying going for a walk and exercising began to transform my

life. And even through the hardship,

there was some Glory that started to flicker into my life.

As the Lord took things that had previously not really noticed or

worked on and use them for his glory.

In their day, it was so key because their worship have been

corrupted by following false teachers into idolatrous worship

their worship, a been rendered ineffectual and phony.

It would like, come to offer sacrifices to the Lord after

first, having gone to the Canaanite gods, and if that

didn't work, then maybe they would go try the Lord.

For these idolatrous faiths and for us in our broken ways, we

sometimes treat worship as merely transactional as kind of

a way of appeasing, an Angry God or seeking his favor.

This passage tells us live your life on your knees before.

The Lord don't come each Sunday looking for a quick fix come

here looking truly to meet the Lord in a new way so that Monday

isn't just like Monday Monday is like Sunday.

Tuesday is like Sunday, everyday is like a day.

Spent dwelling with the Lord. And you truly will experience

the transformation of the ordinary and mundane things of

your life. Whatever is sinful in, you will

be re me new after the image and glory of the God who comes to

say in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

after the image and glory of the God who comes to say in the name

of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,