A Cleansing Fountain is Opened - Dcn. Will Chester

What is really good to be with you?

Thank you so much for your prayers for us a few weeks ago.

You know, Emma's dad. My wife's dad had a early onset.

Dementia and so is death was something that we had been

expecting and pairing for for quite some time.

But then he ended up going home to the Lord much sooner than we

expected. And so please continue to pray

for, especially Emma and her family as they grieve.

We're all doing well. It's just it just feels wrong.

Her dad's not there with us. Sure.

Many of you can relate to that. Zechariah.

Wow. Father Aaron just what a gift

you give to all who preach here by having your church go through

sector. Riot you guys seen the movie

Knives Out. Really good mystery movie came

out a few years ago. I'm not going to give any

spoilers this morning though, if you haven't seen Knives Out by

now, you probably wouldn't care. If I spoiled it because you're

probably aren't going to see it. I don't know, but no sounds good

film, good mystery, it begins as mystery, so often do with a

crime, a murder, right? The A man lies dead, and then

the rest of the mystery is, is kind of unfolding who committed

this crime and why and knives out has this, this other

dimension to it? Where Just figuring out, you

know, who wounded this man. But it's also figuring out or

learning about what this man did.

The murdered one, what he did to ensure that one of the

characters, received the gift of his inheritance, and that's what

gets unfolded as the movie goes on.

It's part of why it's so clever. And I say that because our

passage and Zechariah has a similar theme, I'm not sure if

you noticed this, but it begins with a murder, this unnamed, but

very important man lies dead in the middle of the city.

And the unfolding of this Vision, actually isn't focused

at all on on, who did this. That becomes really clear at the

beginning, but the focus is on the gifts that the murdered one

intends to give even in the moment of his being wounded.

Added. And unlike knives out.

These gifts are not meant for the innocent one in the story,

but these gifts are meant for the very ones, we took his life,

the very ones who wounded him, who murdered him, who caused his

death. What Zechariah sees in this

vision? Is nothing less than Good

Friday, and Jesus death on the cross.

In central to his vision, is not guilt or shame though.

Those are deserved for the people who took this man's life,

but Central to his vision is God's love, and mercy, and

forgiveness. Even in the moment of his

ultimate rejection. How can healing come from a

womb? How could God be so kind in this

moment of all moments? That is the real mystery of

zechariah's vision as the wounded one gives three gifts to

heal and restore the very ones pierced him who took his life

in. This is encouraging news.

For those of us this morning, who come here stuck in shame.

Feeling the weight of guilt Upon Our shoulders or feeling stuck

in patterns of sin. We can't seem to escape So look

with me at these three gifts, beginning in verse 10.

There's a lot in here, so I really encourage you to have

your Bibles open or have your bulletin.

So, versed in Zechariah says, or God says through Zechariah, and

I will pour out on the House of David in the inhabitants of

Jerusalem, a spirit of Grace. And pleas, for Mercy, this is

the first gift, a new spirit, a spirit of Grace, meaning

something like warm-heartedness or compassion, Tenderness along

with this Spirit of pleading for mercy of Sorrow, this the spirit

of Contrition of a desire to change of repentance.

So why does God say that? He's going to give this gift of

compassion and repentance? Well, it's because the murderers

are going to realize that they have made a horrible mistake,

see the rest of verse 10. So that when they look on me on

him who they have pierced, they shall mourn for him as One

Mourns for an only child. And we literally over him as

when weeps over a firstborn, this is where we find out about

the murder. At this unnamed person has been

fatally pierced. But do you notice the awkward

construction of this sentence? So that when they look on me on

him whom they have pierced, you know, Hebrew scribes have copied

this, they thought, you know, maybe someone made a mistake in

the past because how could, you know, an invisible and

all-powerful God, how could he suffer injury at the hands of

men? Why would God identify himself?

As the one who's pierced. And somehow in zechariah's

Vision. God.

And this man are so aligned with each other that to wound one is

to wound the other. And of course, as we read this,

through the lens of Christ's death and Resurrection, it makes

perfect sense. That Jesus the perfect

representative of God, the father because he is God's

eternally, begotten son. And in in because he's forever

existed. As the second person of the one,

trying God, he came to do the one thing that God cannot do,

which is to die. To die at the hands of sinful

men. And God says, in verse 10 that

the people will mourn for this man.

As if he was an only child the same word used.

When God says to Abraham will read at the Easter Vigil, take

your son, your only son, Isaac, which interestingly the Greek,

the Septuagint in both places translates as 11th.

Take your beloved Son, the mourn for him as a beloved child.

Beloved like when the father Speaks Over Jesus at his

baptism, this is my beloved Son with whom I am.

Well pleased. Back to verse 10, the wheat for

this only beloved child as one weeps for a child who is first

born. like when Paul writes in Colossians that Jesus is the

firstborn, the inheritor, over all creation, all of this to

underline, the atrocity, and the seemingly there, the seeming

irreversibility this awful Act But through this wound comes a

gift of healing. God says, he'll pour out on the

House of David and all Jerusalem, a spirit of Grace,

compassion and pleas for mercy. And then verse 11 on that day,

the sprays that gets repeated throughout.

This passage each time signaling, the gift being given

by God on that day. The morning in Jerusalem will be

as great as the morning for Haddad Rimmon in the plain of

megiddo. You're probably wondering what

Haddad Riemann means and so am I it apparently so are many or

not, really sure. It kind of got lost to history,

the reference to megiddo. I mean, King Josiah, who's this

great king? Perhaps the Exile wouldn't have

happened. If Josiah's rain had just been a

little bit longer He died in megiddo and so maybe there's

some kind of Memorial in Jerusalem that that happened

regularly to remember. King Josiah.

Not sure what that phrase is about, that's what I'm saying

but what's clear is that this murder happened in the city of

Jerusalem and it's the people of Jerusalem who bear the

responsibility And so, look at verse 12, the land shall mourn

each family by itself. And then we get this repetition,

the family of David by itself, and their wives in the family of

Nathan, and their wives in the family of Levi, and their wives

in the family of shimei and their wives, and all the

families that are left. So, what's the significance

here? While these names will, you

know, David, I mean, David the great kind of the paradigmatic

king of Israel. Well, and, you know, that David

had sons and one of those Sons is named Nathan.

And so here, David and Nathan are representative of the royal

family. It's the Royals who bear

responsibility and mourn, and then, you know, Levi, Levi, the

son of Jacob and he's the father of the whole Priestly caste and

Israel. And he had some sons and one of

those Sons his name shimei. And so here, Levi and shimei,

they represent the priest, the religious caste, and the

religious. Leaders in Israel.

And it has the mention of the wives by themselves because

early in the mission of there is this tradition this Jewish

tradition that that during a time of mourning, the genders

would be separated and so that's what's happening there.

And then the whole city of Jerusalem gathers in this, and

all of this repetition is meant to show that all are implicated.

Even the most powerful in Jerusalem, in fact, especially

the most powerful. They're the ones that get called

out by name. It's the Royals, the Civic

leaders and it's the religious leaders in its everybody who

Bears responsibility for this man being killed.

And the effect of this repetition is to show that the

morning is genuine. This is real Contrition.

They're not putting on a show, they're genuinely.

Sorry, there's sorrow throughout the city for this murder.

And so what do we make of all of this?

That sorrow for sin. Is a gift of God.

That's the first gift that's given repentance Contrition

desire to change. All of these are a gift of God.

And we need to remember this because this this can actually

be a source of deep encouragement. because often an

in it when we're stuck in sin, it can feel as if God is very

far away from us, And this is where we need to remember that

repentance. And even that small desire to

change is a gift of God's spirit within us.

So, I experienced this recently, I was going on a high school

Retreat. You know, there are high school

students and in talking to the girl, on the bus who is sitting

next to me and just kind of asking her, you know, tell me

about your spiritual life. You know what's going on for

you. And, and she went on to tell me

that she I felt very far from God.

And that they were. And I said, well, do you know

why that is? She said, I have some ideas.

I said, you know, sometimes it's our sin that can make us feel

far from God and she said, yeah, you know, there are few things

in my life, there's some things that I'm doing that, I know I

shouldn't be doing but the problem is I don't really want

to change. Did any of you relate to that?

Like very clearly, you know, in yourself what the problem is but

you're not yet convicted all the way that you're ready to part

ways, with whatever this thing is.

And so that's where she was. And I said, well, how do you?

How do you feel like, God feels towards you right now.

Like, if you could see his face, what would his face look like?

And she thought about it for a moment and then a very quickly

said, I think he'd feel disappointed.

When she thinks about God, she sees someone who's disappointed

in her. He feels far away. and what I

encouraged her, as I said, And I understand that you feel that

way. But this is this is what I want

to tell you. That here on this bus ride to

the retreat. You would not have told me any

of this. If God's spirit was not actively

working within you, I know that you feel far from God.

I know that you don't feel ready to change certain things in your

life, but you would not have even told me as much as you did,

if God's spirit, we're not in you motivating.

You convicting, you even that little amount.

Do you believe that That do you believe that God's spirit is

actually very near to you even in this moment where you feel

completely conflicted? Tears.

Begin to fall from her eyes, she hadn't considered that God was

near to her. That's what I said to her is the

rest of this week and you're going to be given opportunities

to think about these things that you don't know if you want to

let go of and my encouragement to you would be to Simply keep

doing what you just did. Keep leaning in to that voice

saying, share confess confess about precisely where you are

right now confess that little amount of conviction and see

what the Lord does with that. That's the gift that God gives

us sorrow. Over sin, is a gift of God, and

even when you're not ready to, let go of sin in your life, just

lean into that get and he will provide the strength.

We go forward will always put the opportunity before you and

you have to you have to take them up on the opportunity.

You won't put these words in your mouth.

It'll put the opportunity before you confess.

Repent. See what he does with that.

Spirit of repentance is a gift. Let's look.

Now at the second gift of the Wounded one, we could 13:1 this

gift of forgiveness. And that day there shall be a

fountain opened for the House of David in the inhabitants of

Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin, and uncleanness again that

phrase on that day and that very day.

When God's representative is pierced, not only is the gift of

Sorrow for sin given but a means of atonement is provided, a

means of making things right, again is provided It by the very

one who suffered the injury. This, the image is of a fountain

which throughout the scriptures and even another literature is

you know is representative of a source of life.

And I'm sure you've seen throughout this sermon series

that Zechariah, he borrows imagery from other Major

Prophets, like Isaiah and Ezekiel Ezekiel to had this

theme of water throughout his writings that God would bring

his people home and he would sprinkle clean water on them so

that they would be clean from all their uncleanness.

And from all of their idols. On that day, the day of his

wounding, the gift of God is Not Just repentance, but cleansing.

Forgiveness of sin and we live in a culture that demands

atonement, we live in a culture that is so good at identifying,

what's wrong? In this world?

And that's a good thing. But we're also a culture.

That's very confused and lost when it comes to how things are

made. Right, again, In this concept of

forgiveness is Scandal it. And are you guys did a sermon

series this fall? This very topic of forgiveness.

And so in our culture needs stories about forgiveness, I

mean, ways of making sense. How is this supposed to look?

And so, the story that came to mind is thinking about this text

forgiveness, in the very moment of a wound, comes from a book,

have any of you read this Called Peace?

Like a river. I think it's by Leaf anger.

If you're from the Midwest, I mean, it's a very Midwestern

novel, it precedes. Very, very slowly and

methodically and some would say it's boring, but I would simply

say it's Midwestern. And if you're from Minnesota,

it's very minnesotans, you should check it out.

In this novel, you know, boys reflecting on his father his

father's, a good man who's come under hardship around him in his

life. He's working at a job as a

janitor at a school. Not exactly a glorious job for

your dad to be doing and one day, all the students are in the

lunchroom and in the principal, or the superintendent walks into

the lunchroom, the superintendent's, pretty evil,

man, and his space, even reflects this.

He's he's got boils on his skin and kind of this redness that

comes through and he's always Getting and angry and he gets

angry at the kids and goes to do something about it.

And the superintendent knocks over, you know this this tray of

milk bottles shattering them. And just at that moment, the

boy's father walks in the janitor, the clean it up, the

superintendent's embarrassed. And so, he's gonna take out his

embarrassment on somebody else, he's going to shift his

embarrassment on to somebody else.

Since we shifted onto the janitor, who he's seen walking

around the school muttering to himself.

Oh really? What the dad was doing was

praying, but the superintendent in front of everybody, Shane's

him. Accuses him of being a drunk

walking around the school's weird time, saying things to

himself. And the boy says that, that most

boys have never had to watch something.

Like, most boys have never had to watch as their father was

stripped of his livelihood of his dignity in the, in front of

many other people. But the cruelty of that moment,

still impresses all these years later.

The superintendent fires, his father takes out his

embarrassment on this man. And then this moment happens,

the father reaches up and so quickly me you blink and you'd

miss it the father touches the superintendent space, he said it

was almost like a slap and then it was just it was gone.

And with that, touch the superintendent space was healed.

All of the redness, went away, all of the sweat, dried up all

the boils receded, the principal himself didn't understand what

was happening. And the boy says it is not an

easy thing to watch a miracle happened.

And we think oh we'd love to see Miracles.

He says, in this moment it was not an easy thing to see this

miracle happen. Why did my dad heal him?

Why did my dad? He'll the one who had just

insulted him in front of everybody.

He said the Injustice of this miracle took my breath away.

That's the kind of thing we have Happening Here.

In the moment of this wound, a fountain appealing is opened up

the piercing leads to this Fountain of cleansing for the

murderers themselves. I mean, the gospel writer John,

he quotes this very passage in Zechariah John chapter 19, they

John 19 · chapter mention

will look on him whom they have pierced.

As Jesus is on the cross. When he tells this story about

Jesus was dead in the soldier, brings a spear just to make sure

that he's dead. He pokes, the dead body of Jesus

in the side and out of Jesus side, come blood and water

blowing. See the prophet.

Ezekiel had a dreamed that someday there would be a new

Temple in out of this Temple would flow a river and wherever

this River went life, would spring up from the ground

animals. Would swarm in these trees would

come up from this river, that comes from the temple, and these

trees would bear fruit. And, and those fruit bearing

trees would never be out of season.

But day in and day out, they would, they would bear fruit.

Earlier in John's gospel, Jesus said about his own body.

That it's a temple, destroy this Temple and I will raise it in

three days. That's what's happening on the

prop blood and water flow out. Blood given to us even today in

the Eucharist blood for the Forgiveness of sins water in

baptism given that we might be cleansed.

In the very moment of his death comes cleansing, even for the

ones who have injured an assault it It's incredible.

Second gift is the gift of forgiveness.

Now look at verse 20, the final gift of the Wounded one.

On that day, declares the Lord of hosts.

I will cut off the names of the idols of the land so that they

will be remembered no more. For the Jews Idols were images

used in worship of other gods, Gods named asherah or bail.

And we know them today for the things that these Idols promised

to provide money, sex, and power, and influence, and

fulfillment. All of these things that can be

good in their place, but when they become the thing, that our

lives are missing the thing that would bring us happiness and

security, then they become deadly to ourselves and to

others. Zechariah says, on that day,

those things will be cut off. I mean, don't you long for that

temptation? Just cut off.

No more. The things that you struggle

with cut off no more. Zechariah then says that God

will remove from the land. The prophets, meaning the false,

prophets in the spirit of uncleanness, he's talking about

these false prophets, that entice, the people with these

promises of fulfillment. But leave them hurting instead.

you see verse 3, if anyone again prophesize, Is father and

mother, Who Bore him will say to him, you shall not live for you,

speak lies in the name of the Lord.

And what he's referring to is, you know, this part of the law

in Deuteronomy that says, if a prophet is prophesying, falsely,

should be put to death. And so the implication here, is

that even the false prophets own family will have the discernment

to know right from wrong. They're not going to put up with

it just because that profit is there.

Son? And false prophets.

You know they trafficked and false hope just like they do

today. They're the ones who say that

that you can go around suffering in this life.

The false prophets are the ones who say that your most important

job is for you to be happy. And that this is what God wants

for you to. But the truth is always more

subtle and what the false prophets say?

You cannot Escape suffering in this life, but the Lord will

deliver you one day from all suffering in.

Your most important work, is not to be happy that the Lord can

and will satisfy the longings of your heart.

We don't use the language of false prophets often anymore.

Our profits. They don't they don't go around

and Harry cloaks like Elijah War you'll parading themselves as

prophets. They go by other names today.

I think the the name that came to mind is influencer Those

might be some of the false prophets today.

They don't have a hairy cloak but they have this nice pleasing

background that somehow they figured out how to make you

watch that video and think oh this person knows what they're

saying and they come to us with different voices, you know,

there's the shaming voice of the the mommy Instagram influencer

that make you feel kind of smug and self-satisfied about how you

are choosing to parent which is so much better than how they

chose to parent. Or are choosing to parent.

It's it's the voice, you know, those angry diatribes of these,

in a political influencers, on one side of the other that make

you feel better than the less enlightened around you.

It's the false prophets you know who have the the cynical

confidence of the deconstructor, right who can take something

that spiritually you held dear, you know they can take your

faith like a child and just pick it apart that you're left with

nothing. It's the voice of, you know, the

self-assured kind of machismo of that, that big tough man,

promising, you know, muscular gains and and a steady stream of

income, you know, from like passive income, you know, that

sort of thing. Yeah, these are the false

prophets and every time you get on an Instagram or YouTube, you

see these people. Why?

Because they have a message that's appealing.

And so you stick around long enough to listen to what they

have to say. And then that social media says,

oh man, they like this stuff. Let's give him some more.

Let's keep feeding them these messages.

And they influence us. And Zechariah seize the day when

such false prophets will be ashamed of their words.

Ashamed of the things they said the promises they made about

what would bring fulfillment in verse 5.

They'll deny that they ever pretended to be an influencer.

Verse 6, if somebody asks the false prophet, you know what are

those wounds on your back? Maybe that.

What is he talking about there? So, apparently this, you know,

wounds on your back, it actually means, you know, wounds

somewhere between your hands, it could be on the back or it could

be on the chest. If you remember that, that story

of Elijah on Mount Carmel. Now he's going toe-to-toe with

all these false prophets and in there, you know, passionate

desire for bail to show up and act.

And defeat the god of Yahweh. What do they start doing?

Is start adding themselves. Start wounding themselves.

It's a Zechariah sees this day that somebody would see these

wounds of the false prophet and say, how did you get those

wounds in the false prophet would say this?

And this actually really important, he says these are the

wounds that I receive in the house of my friends.

False prophet bought into this message of fulfillment to this

message. This false hope that will only

leave you wounded if you're to follow it.

He says yeah that's I got it from my friends.

The ones I thought would take care of me from from the voices,

the false promises. That's where I got these wounds.

The gift. The third gift that's given

after repentance and forgiveness is victory.

Over Idol has victory over these false hopes.

And of course, we know that this is day that Zechariah sees

knows. It was a long day, right?

It started on Good Friday but this day isn't yet over.

We're still waiting for the Fulfillment of this day when

these Idols are put away forever.

But we are given now a gift of discernment.

The sermon to know truth from falsehood in the measuring line

that were given is the cross. So anytime you hear a message

that promises fulfillment of some kind judge it by the cross,

The Cross isn't a symbolic victory of Jesus, but it's a

real Victory. It's a real actual historical

victory of Jesus, over the powers of sin, the Flesh and the

devil. And so, beware, beware of any

message that would say you can find fulfillment separate from

Suffering. The Lord's going to lead you

Through suffering and out of it. That's the message of the Cross

and we can't escape suffering. But the message is that the Lord

can redeem any suffering. So, beware of a message that

says, you can get around it. Beware of any kind of message

that says, you can get around your responsibility to love your

neighbor that you can get around any responsibility to love God.

That's not the message of the Cross message of the Cross is

sacrificial. Love, and Jesus were to ask is

to take up your cross and follow me beware of any message that

says, otherwise, Beware of any message that says, you can be

fulfilled. Apart from communion.

With Christ and his body. You cannot, we are not made for

fulfillment separate from the Lord Jesus.

So beware of any message that says, you can find fulfillment

outside of the church or somewhere else.

You can't, you can only find fulfillment in Jesus.

That's the message of the cross. The gift is discernment of his

victory, over these powers. Well, conclude there.

This is what Zechariah sees these three gifts, the gift of

repentance, it gift of forgiveness, that gift of

Victory, given these gifts given to the ones who are the very

most undeserving, but given, because God's love will have the

final Victory. Amen.

Given to the ones who are undeserving, because God's love

will have the final Victory. And so, the encouragement for us

today, Day. This is wonderful timing halfway

through land. Just over halfway through Lent.

Is to receive the gifts that God wants to give you.

We take this time to meditate on Christ's death and resurrection

and when he looks at you he has not disappointed with you.

But his spirit is in you saying come home.

Now is the time to come home. Maybe you've started these

Lenten disciplines And so far you failed at most of them, you

don't have to say, Amen. But I'm sure that some of us in

this room, you picked up some Lenten disciplines, the ones

that you knew you needed and it's just been a total failure.

Well, today's a new start. Lean into the grace that Jesus

provides pick those up again to become weak before the Lord's

that he can fill you up with his strength.

This is what lent is all about going deeper into the mystery.

The true mystery of God's love for us in the death Resurrection

his son Jesus Christ. The name of the father and the

son and the holy spirit. Amen.

The name of the father and the son and the holy spirit.

Amen.