1 00:00:00,910 --> 00:00:02,470 Welcome to From the Pulpit. 2 00:00:02,590 --> 00:00:04,170 Each week we bring you a different message 3 00:00:04,170 --> 00:00:05,950 from some of history's greatest speakers in the 4 00:00:05,950 --> 00:00:08,630 Christian faith and powerful summons from modern preachers 5 00:00:08,630 --> 00:00:08,870 too. 6 00:00:09,110 --> 00:00:11,110 This week we have Chuck Smith with his 7 00:00:11,110 --> 00:00:13,410 message, When Life is Overwhelming. 8 00:00:13,910 --> 00:00:16,550 We're getting into the book of Zechariah this 9 00:00:16,550 --> 00:00:20,290 week and we'll take the first seven chapters 10 00:00:20,290 --> 00:00:23,270 tonight and next week the next seven chapters 11 00:00:23,270 --> 00:00:26,530 and then the book of Malachi and we 12 00:00:26,530 --> 00:00:30,050 have completed the Old Testament and we start 13 00:00:30,050 --> 00:00:32,890 off in the New Testament the following week. 14 00:00:33,050 --> 00:00:37,210 So just about ready to finish up on 15 00:00:37,210 --> 00:00:37,970 the Old Testament. 16 00:00:38,330 --> 00:00:40,990 Been a great journey but we're looking forward 17 00:00:40,990 --> 00:00:43,350 to getting into the New Testament and the 18 00:00:43,350 --> 00:00:46,090 exciting truths of the New Testament. 19 00:00:46,910 --> 00:00:49,310 This morning we'd like to look at the 20 00:00:49,310 --> 00:00:54,550 fourth chapter of Zechariah, verse 6, where we 21 00:00:54,550 --> 00:00:59,330 read, And then he answered and spake unto 22 00:00:59,330 --> 00:01:02,330 me, saying, This is the word of the 23 00:01:02,330 --> 00:01:07,010 Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor 24 00:01:07,010 --> 00:01:10,710 by power, but by my spirit, saith the 25 00:01:10,710 --> 00:01:11,530 Lord of hosts. 26 00:01:12,230 --> 00:01:13,970 Who art thou, O great mountain? 27 00:01:14,710 --> 00:01:18,750 Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain, and 28 00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:22,110 he shall bring forth in the headstone thereof 29 00:01:22,110 --> 00:01:27,350 with shoutings crying, Grace, grace, unto it. 30 00:01:28,870 --> 00:01:32,030 Have you ever been working on a project 31 00:01:33,270 --> 00:01:35,750 and you got to the place where you 32 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:39,430 thought, Well there's no use even trying anymore. 33 00:01:39,790 --> 00:01:41,550 It's just too big. 34 00:01:42,010 --> 00:01:44,130 The task is too great. 35 00:01:44,650 --> 00:01:46,150 I can never do it. 36 00:01:47,030 --> 00:01:51,670 Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your circumstances 37 00:01:51,670 --> 00:01:54,790 and felt that you couldn't take one more 38 00:01:54,790 --> 00:01:58,050 step, that you might as well just give 39 00:01:58,050 --> 00:01:59,110 up and quit? 40 00:01:59,990 --> 00:02:02,590 Have you ever felt just like giving up? 41 00:02:03,890 --> 00:02:08,310 If you have, then you understand the feelings 42 00:02:08,310 --> 00:02:12,050 of Zerubbabel in our text today. 43 00:02:14,070 --> 00:02:15,650 He was discouraged. 44 00:02:16,850 --> 00:02:18,730 He was ready to give up. 45 00:02:19,330 --> 00:02:23,150 He had returned from Babylon with other Jewish 46 00:02:23,150 --> 00:02:27,150 people from the captivity, and they had high 47 00:02:27,150 --> 00:02:27,730 hopes. 48 00:02:28,370 --> 00:02:31,670 The people were in high spirits. 49 00:02:32,150 --> 00:02:34,450 They were looking forward to getting back to 50 00:02:34,450 --> 00:02:34,910 Jerusalem. 51 00:02:35,290 --> 00:02:37,270 They had heard of the beauty of the 52 00:02:37,270 --> 00:02:38,170 city of Jerusalem. 53 00:02:38,290 --> 00:02:40,990 They had heard of the temple and all, 54 00:02:41,190 --> 00:02:44,550 and they were anxious to see Jerusalem, and 55 00:02:44,550 --> 00:02:48,650 they weren't really prepared for what they found 56 00:02:48,650 --> 00:02:52,430 when they came to Jerusalem because the destruction 57 00:02:52,430 --> 00:02:55,030 by the Babylonian army was so complete. 58 00:02:55,790 --> 00:02:59,610 The city was nothing but rubble, piles of 59 00:02:59,610 --> 00:03:05,710 rubble, and so the magnificent temple was just 60 00:03:05,710 --> 00:03:12,510 completely destroyed, and the devastation was just unbelievable. 61 00:03:13,170 --> 00:03:16,950 The people of the neighboring villages have pillaged 62 00:03:16,950 --> 00:03:21,990 the city, and the people just, their hearts 63 00:03:21,990 --> 00:03:26,890 sank when they saw the condition, and their 64 00:03:26,890 --> 00:03:31,650 dreams were sort of shattered, and just because 65 00:03:31,650 --> 00:03:33,630 of the reality of what they were looking 66 00:03:33,630 --> 00:03:33,990 at. 67 00:03:34,870 --> 00:03:37,570 Have you ever worked all day very hard, 68 00:03:37,950 --> 00:03:40,050 and at the end of the day, you 69 00:03:40,050 --> 00:03:44,010 couldn't see any visible results of your labor? 70 00:03:45,810 --> 00:03:50,290 It seems like you made no headway, but 71 00:03:50,290 --> 00:03:55,670 think of after working months, and again, having 72 00:03:55,670 --> 00:03:58,130 that feeling that you can't even see what 73 00:03:58,130 --> 00:04:00,270 you've done in these many months. 74 00:04:00,370 --> 00:04:02,870 The pile of rubble still looks as big 75 00:04:02,870 --> 00:04:05,110 as it did when you first started to 76 00:04:05,110 --> 00:04:09,810 move it, and if you can catch this, 77 00:04:10,130 --> 00:04:12,570 you're catching the mindset of the people. 78 00:04:12,930 --> 00:04:16,470 They were discouraged, they were ready to give 79 00:04:16,470 --> 00:04:16,790 up. 80 00:04:17,350 --> 00:04:21,710 The people have become so demoralized that they've 81 00:04:21,710 --> 00:04:24,170 given up the project of rebuilding the temple, 82 00:04:24,490 --> 00:04:27,110 and they started working on their own houses, 83 00:04:27,290 --> 00:04:30,350 and left the temple just to go. 84 00:04:31,290 --> 00:04:34,090 The book of Haggai was written at this 85 00:04:34,090 --> 00:04:38,010 same time that Zechariah was writing his book. 86 00:04:38,570 --> 00:04:42,390 There's only about two months difference between the 87 00:04:42,390 --> 00:04:46,130 writing of the two books, and Haggai was 88 00:04:46,130 --> 00:04:49,510 calling on the people to get, not give 89 00:04:49,510 --> 00:04:51,770 up, and to get back to work on 90 00:04:51,770 --> 00:04:56,290 the house of God, and he pointed out 91 00:04:56,290 --> 00:05:01,390 that God's blessings were lacking because they were 92 00:05:01,390 --> 00:05:05,190 letting the house of God go desolate while 93 00:05:05,190 --> 00:05:08,470 they were just tending to their own personal 94 00:05:08,470 --> 00:05:09,130 houses. 95 00:05:10,070 --> 00:05:15,630 We need to remember that the most important 96 00:05:15,630 --> 00:05:21,450 relationship in our lives is the vertical relationship, 97 00:05:21,590 --> 00:05:23,190 our relationship with God. 98 00:05:24,190 --> 00:05:28,670 If this is right, then the horizontal relationships 99 00:05:28,670 --> 00:05:31,830 will be right, but until this is right, 100 00:05:32,250 --> 00:05:35,230 our whole life will always be out of 101 00:05:35,230 --> 00:05:35,610 kilter. 102 00:05:35,950 --> 00:05:38,090 It seems that there is a fixed axis 103 00:05:38,090 --> 00:05:42,690 in our life between the perpendicular and the 104 00:05:42,690 --> 00:05:47,290 horizontal, and if the perpendicular, my up-and 105 00:05:47,290 --> 00:05:50,470 -down relationship with God is right, then my 106 00:05:50,470 --> 00:05:51,730 horizontal is right. 107 00:05:52,010 --> 00:05:55,030 I have a right relationship with you, but 108 00:05:55,030 --> 00:05:59,770 if my perpendicular gets out of kilter, then 109 00:05:59,770 --> 00:06:03,590 it's a fixed axis, and my relationship with 110 00:06:03,590 --> 00:06:07,170 others becomes topsy-turvy, up and down, and 111 00:06:07,170 --> 00:06:08,870 I have a real problem. 112 00:06:09,030 --> 00:06:13,490 So, the importance of seek first the kingdom 113 00:06:13,490 --> 00:06:16,590 of God, his righteousness, then all of these 114 00:06:16,590 --> 00:06:19,230 other things will be added unto you. 115 00:06:19,350 --> 00:06:21,370 God will take care of the others, but 116 00:06:21,370 --> 00:06:24,110 the important thing, of course, is that vertical 117 00:06:24,110 --> 00:06:29,170 axis upon which our whole lives spin, are 118 00:06:29,170 --> 00:06:32,610 resolving, are revolving. 119 00:06:33,530 --> 00:06:38,450 Jesus, of course, encouraged us to seek the 120 00:06:38,450 --> 00:06:40,150 spiritual things first. 121 00:06:40,730 --> 00:06:44,570 Through the prophet of Zechariah, God is going 122 00:06:44,570 --> 00:06:47,290 to send the message to the leaders to 123 00:06:47,290 --> 00:06:50,950 encourage them to return and to start building 124 00:06:50,950 --> 00:06:52,110 the temple again. 125 00:06:53,030 --> 00:06:55,230 God said, if you notice that you just 126 00:06:55,230 --> 00:06:57,730 don't have enough money to get through the 127 00:06:57,730 --> 00:07:01,770 week, that you're always, you know, just short 128 00:07:01,770 --> 00:07:04,890 and so forth, it's because, he said, you've 129 00:07:04,890 --> 00:07:08,230 forsaken my house, and you're busy about your 130 00:07:08,230 --> 00:07:11,810 own things, and that's the reason why you're 131 00:07:11,810 --> 00:07:15,570 just having so many problems, so many difficulties, 132 00:07:16,030 --> 00:07:17,110 so much hardship. 133 00:07:18,410 --> 00:07:24,230 So, during this time, Zechariah saw this vision 134 00:07:24,230 --> 00:07:26,610 that the Lord gave him, and the vision 135 00:07:26,610 --> 00:07:28,350 was of the menorah. 136 00:07:28,810 --> 00:07:34,230 Now, the menorah was that seven golden candlestick, 137 00:07:34,290 --> 00:07:39,010 a candlestick with seven little cups on the 138 00:07:39,010 --> 00:07:44,010 arms of it, and that was to light 139 00:07:44,010 --> 00:07:51,670 up the sanctuary of the Jewish temple, and 140 00:07:51,670 --> 00:07:55,730 it was to be a symbol that God 141 00:07:55,730 --> 00:07:59,570 intended the Jewish nation to be the light 142 00:07:59,570 --> 00:08:03,030 of the world, and that was one of 143 00:08:03,030 --> 00:08:07,390 the main furnishings of the temple was this 144 00:08:07,390 --> 00:08:10,670 menorah, and each day it was the duty 145 00:08:10,670 --> 00:08:15,010 of the priest to change the oil and 146 00:08:15,010 --> 00:08:17,690 to put in new wicks and so forth, 147 00:08:17,770 --> 00:08:20,850 and to make sure that that menorah was 148 00:08:20,850 --> 00:08:24,770 always burning, the seven golden candlesticks were always 149 00:08:24,770 --> 00:08:26,110 burning continually. 150 00:08:26,870 --> 00:08:29,990 In the vision, that, of course, that was 151 00:08:29,990 --> 00:08:34,530 quite a laborious task, every day it was, 152 00:08:34,890 --> 00:08:37,850 you know, doing the same thing, cleaning up 153 00:08:37,850 --> 00:08:41,870 and putting the fresh oil in, and it 154 00:08:41,870 --> 00:08:44,770 was one of those things that could become 155 00:08:44,770 --> 00:08:48,530 very monotonous after a while, but God gave 156 00:08:48,530 --> 00:08:50,930 to Zechariah this vision. 157 00:08:51,250 --> 00:08:56,550 He saw this menorah with the seven golden 158 00:08:56,550 --> 00:09:00,070 candles, or the seven arms on this candlestick, 159 00:09:00,190 --> 00:09:02,750 he saw the cups with the oil, but 160 00:09:02,750 --> 00:09:06,150 then he saw on either side of this 161 00:09:06,150 --> 00:09:10,010 menorah, there were olive trees, and there were 162 00:09:10,010 --> 00:09:13,470 branches that were going from the olive trees 163 00:09:13,470 --> 00:09:17,510 directly into these cups, filling them constantly with 164 00:09:17,510 --> 00:09:20,570 the oil, so that it wasn't a daily 165 00:09:20,570 --> 00:09:23,050 task that he had to worry about, getting 166 00:09:23,050 --> 00:09:25,390 the oil and filling the cups, but here 167 00:09:25,390 --> 00:09:27,730 was just this sort of a Rube Goldberg 168 00:09:27,730 --> 00:09:31,070 kind of a thing, where these olive trees 169 00:09:31,070 --> 00:09:35,030 were feeding the oil into the cups just 170 00:09:35,030 --> 00:09:39,470 daily, and the Lord said to Zechariah, what 171 00:09:39,470 --> 00:09:40,010 do you see? 172 00:09:40,130 --> 00:09:42,430 He said, I really don't understand it, and 173 00:09:42,430 --> 00:09:44,190 the Lord said, well, that's the word of 174 00:09:44,190 --> 00:09:47,870 the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, it's not by 175 00:09:47,870 --> 00:09:51,810 might, it's not by power, but it's by 176 00:09:51,810 --> 00:09:55,330 my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts, this 177 00:09:55,330 --> 00:09:58,110 mountain of rubble shall be removed. 178 00:09:58,650 --> 00:10:01,670 In other words, he's discouraged, it looks like 179 00:10:01,670 --> 00:10:04,670 they're not getting anywhere in the removing of 180 00:10:04,670 --> 00:10:07,110 the rubble, but the Lord is giving words 181 00:10:07,110 --> 00:10:10,610 of encouragement, not by might, nor by power, 182 00:10:10,910 --> 00:10:13,770 but by my spirit, saith the Lord of 183 00:10:13,770 --> 00:10:14,210 hosts. 184 00:10:14,930 --> 00:10:17,630 Might is a word in Hebrew that is 185 00:10:17,630 --> 00:10:22,670 used for human resources or human ability. 186 00:10:23,550 --> 00:10:25,610 The work isn't going to be done with 187 00:10:25,610 --> 00:10:28,110 human resources or human ability. 188 00:10:28,910 --> 00:10:34,210 Power denotes human effort, physical or mental, and 189 00:10:34,210 --> 00:10:36,370 it should be noted that they had tried 190 00:10:36,370 --> 00:10:38,750 might and power, and they had run out 191 00:10:38,750 --> 00:10:41,110 of their might and power, but the mountain 192 00:10:41,110 --> 00:10:43,790 of rubble was still there, and the temple 193 00:10:43,790 --> 00:10:44,770 was not rebuilt. 194 00:10:45,570 --> 00:10:49,130 And so, it's interesting, when we have exhausted 195 00:10:49,130 --> 00:10:53,390 our store of endurance, when our strength has 196 00:10:53,390 --> 00:10:56,850 failed ere the day is half done, when 197 00:10:56,850 --> 00:10:59,690 we reach the end of our hoarded resources, 198 00:11:00,370 --> 00:11:03,330 our Father's forgiving has only begun. 199 00:11:03,970 --> 00:11:07,550 His love has no limits, His grace has 200 00:11:07,550 --> 00:11:11,810 no measure, His power has no boundary known 201 00:11:11,810 --> 00:11:14,750 unto men, for out of His infinite riches 202 00:11:14,750 --> 00:11:19,110 in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth 203 00:11:19,110 --> 00:11:19,830 again. 204 00:11:21,030 --> 00:11:24,250 Today, we see men trying to do the 205 00:11:24,250 --> 00:11:27,470 work of God through might and power. 206 00:11:28,510 --> 00:11:33,450 The Christian periodicals are filled with the conferences 207 00:11:33,450 --> 00:11:36,750 that you can attend, conferences on how to 208 00:11:36,750 --> 00:11:39,450 raise the funds for your church, or how 209 00:11:39,450 --> 00:11:42,170 to stimulate church growth, or how to win 210 00:11:42,170 --> 00:11:43,390 the world for Christ. 211 00:11:43,950 --> 00:11:47,490 There are Christian think tanks where men come 212 00:11:47,490 --> 00:11:50,710 together and they explore new ideas to make 213 00:11:50,710 --> 00:11:54,010 the church and the gospel more attractive to 214 00:11:54,010 --> 00:11:54,530 the world. 215 00:11:54,530 --> 00:11:59,130 They're seeking for success formulas, and for a 216 00:11:59,130 --> 00:12:02,530 price, you can buy the recipe for developing 217 00:12:02,530 --> 00:12:03,750 a large church. 218 00:12:04,410 --> 00:12:07,550 So, step-by-step processes whereby you can 219 00:12:07,550 --> 00:12:09,750 evangelize your community. 220 00:12:10,410 --> 00:12:12,650 I was going to say that these programs 221 00:12:12,650 --> 00:12:15,370 are a dime a dozen, but that's not 222 00:12:15,370 --> 00:12:15,930 quite right. 223 00:12:16,030 --> 00:12:18,630 They're $395 a seminar. 224 00:12:18,890 --> 00:12:23,320 If you register in advance, $500 if you 225 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,480 wait and register at the door. 226 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,760 Through over the 50 years that I've had 227 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,260 in the ministry, I've seen hundreds of these 228 00:12:31,260 --> 00:12:33,120 programs come and go. 229 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:36,880 I even participated in some myself in the 230 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:38,500 early years of my ministry. 231 00:12:39,380 --> 00:12:45,260 As Zerubbabel and Joshua, I became discouraged after 232 00:12:45,260 --> 00:12:48,000 putting out so much effort and so little 233 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,060 to show for it. 234 00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:53,200 When I'd given up on the man's created 235 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:58,700 devices and ideas and their power routines, I 236 00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:00,920 just started doing what the early church did 237 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:02,540 back in the book of Acts. 238 00:13:02,900 --> 00:13:07,320 They continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine, in 239 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,220 fellowship, and in prayer, and the Holy Spirit 240 00:13:10,220 --> 00:13:13,360 added daily to the church such as should 241 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:14,020 be saved. 242 00:13:14,540 --> 00:13:17,060 As people would come from around the world 243 00:13:17,060 --> 00:13:20,960 to discover the secret of the phenomenal work 244 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,280 that the Lord was doing here, they were 245 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:27,760 usually disappointed because they did not have, we 246 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:30,560 did not have the success programs to sell 247 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:31,020 to them. 248 00:13:31,260 --> 00:13:34,120 And they always thought we were holding back 249 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:34,760 from them. 250 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,820 Now really, what is the real secret of 251 00:13:37,820 --> 00:13:38,420 your growth there? 252 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:40,080 We said it's just the Lord, you know. 253 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:41,260 No, no, no. 254 00:13:41,580 --> 00:13:43,280 Really, what are you doing, you know? 255 00:13:43,380 --> 00:13:45,160 And they want you to lay out some 256 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:46,920 kind of a program for them, but we 257 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:47,580 didn't have any. 258 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:49,440 We were just teaching the Word of God, 259 00:13:49,860 --> 00:13:52,740 loving one another, and watching God do a 260 00:13:52,740 --> 00:13:56,140 beautiful work, and we've had that blessed privilege 261 00:13:56,140 --> 00:13:58,080 of being able to do that. 262 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,180 As Paul wrote to the Galatians, O foolish 263 00:14:02,180 --> 00:14:06,540 Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should 264 00:14:06,540 --> 00:14:07,820 not obey the truth? 265 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,460 I want to ask you, did you receive 266 00:14:11,460 --> 00:14:13,920 the Spirit by the works of the law 267 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,040 or by the hearing of faith? 268 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,060 Are you so foolish? 269 00:14:18,620 --> 00:14:22,120 Having begun in the Spirit, are you now 270 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,400 going to be made perfect in the flesh? 271 00:14:26,100 --> 00:14:29,620 There was a time when the hippie movement 272 00:14:29,620 --> 00:14:33,820 was a hot item in the press, and 273 00:14:33,820 --> 00:14:36,240 they were writing about it in the papers 274 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,640 and in the magazines and so forth. 275 00:14:39,060 --> 00:14:43,200 This counterculture hippie movement had sort of taken 276 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,640 hold here in the United States. 277 00:14:46,140 --> 00:14:51,160 And I was reading an article in the 278 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:57,060 Time magazine about these 65 hippies down there 279 00:14:57,060 --> 00:15:01,380 at Black's Beach in San Diego who stripped 280 00:15:01,380 --> 00:15:05,460 in to the bear and went swimming in 281 00:15:05,460 --> 00:15:09,540 the nude there in the bay at San 282 00:15:09,540 --> 00:15:09,880 Diego. 283 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:16,980 And I thought, is that all that, you 284 00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:18,880 know, the magazine has a report on? 285 00:15:19,260 --> 00:15:22,380 65 kids, you know, swimming in the nude 286 00:15:22,380 --> 00:15:26,580 down in Black's Beach at San Diego. 287 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,180 We're going to be baptizing about a thousand 288 00:15:30,180 --> 00:15:32,620 kids, you know, in Corona del Mar. 289 00:15:33,060 --> 00:15:36,720 To me, that's more newsworthy than kids, you 290 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,880 know, swimming in the nude down there. 291 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,500 I think I'll get hold of Time magazine 292 00:15:42,500 --> 00:15:43,960 and see if they would like to do 293 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:47,340 a report on something else that's happening in 294 00:15:47,340 --> 00:15:50,920 the Pacific Ocean rather than just kids swimming 295 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:51,760 nude, you know. 296 00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:55,360 And the Lord spoke to my heart. 297 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:57,420 I was driving home from church and thinking 298 00:15:57,420 --> 00:15:59,380 about that, and the Lord spoke to my 299 00:15:59,380 --> 00:15:59,480 heart. 300 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,500 He said, who's been your publicity agent up 301 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:03,000 till now? 302 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,740 And I said, well, you have, Lord. 303 00:16:06,300 --> 00:16:08,780 And he said, well, look, you haven't had 304 00:16:08,780 --> 00:16:09,960 to do any advertising. 305 00:16:10,700 --> 00:16:13,680 And you've been in Look magazine, you've been 306 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,580 in Reader's Digest, you've been in several newspaper 307 00:16:16,580 --> 00:16:17,160 articles. 308 00:16:17,460 --> 00:16:20,020 Are you not satisfied with the job that 309 00:16:20,020 --> 00:16:20,620 I'm doing? 310 00:16:21,020 --> 00:16:23,180 And I had to say, well, Lord, I'm 311 00:16:23,180 --> 00:16:24,180 very satisfied. 312 00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:28,140 Forgive me, you know, let's, you know, forget 313 00:16:28,140 --> 00:16:31,300 trying to contact Time magazine and let them 314 00:16:31,300 --> 00:16:31,560 know. 315 00:16:32,260 --> 00:16:34,940 When I got home, there was a fellow 316 00:16:34,940 --> 00:16:37,320 sitting in the living room, and my wife 317 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,380 said, honey, this fellow's a reporter from Time 318 00:16:40,380 --> 00:16:41,300 magazine. 319 00:16:45,220 --> 00:16:48,700 He wants to do an article on, you 320 00:16:48,700 --> 00:16:51,440 know, the church and the kids coming to 321 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:52,060 Christ and all. 322 00:16:52,540 --> 00:16:56,080 And so the Lord was one step ahead 323 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,920 of us, which he always is. 324 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,520 But it was exciting to see how God 325 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,900 was working, and it is exciting to see 326 00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:08,880 the work of God continuing. 327 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:12,660 The Lord was saying to Zerubbabel, you have 328 00:17:12,660 --> 00:17:16,480 worked so hard until you're totally exhausted, you're 329 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:17,920 at the point of giving up. 330 00:17:18,339 --> 00:17:21,240 You've pushed the people until there's no more 331 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:21,859 push. 332 00:17:22,220 --> 00:17:24,420 It is true that you can push people 333 00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:27,180 too far, and when they do not see 334 00:17:27,180 --> 00:17:30,520 the promised results, they get discouraged and quit. 335 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:34,000 The time has come to let the Spirit 336 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,360 do the work. 337 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,240 Not by might nor by power, but by 338 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,300 my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts, this 339 00:17:42,300 --> 00:17:44,100 mountain shall be removed. 340 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,240 The result of letting the Spirit do the 341 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,040 work, first of all, the work gets done. 342 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:53,860 The mountains will be removed. 343 00:17:54,660 --> 00:17:58,200 We have different words to define a task. 344 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,700 We say, well, that's very easy. 345 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,020 Oh, well, that's difficult. 346 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:06,860 We say, oh, that's hard. 347 00:18:07,060 --> 00:18:08,580 And then there are some who say, well, 348 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:09,900 that's impossible. 349 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,960 And so we have a tendency to measure 350 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,120 a task and grade it as far as 351 00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:24,160 difficulty or ability to accomplish that particular task. 352 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:29,640 But you know, if it's God doing the 353 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:35,240 work, then any talk of impossibility is absurd. 354 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:37,840 He said, behold, I am God. 355 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,220 Is there anything too hard for me? 356 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,180 There may be mountains of difficulty in your 357 00:18:45,180 --> 00:18:45,640 path. 358 00:18:46,300 --> 00:18:48,220 It may be that you've been trying to 359 00:18:48,220 --> 00:18:50,040 move those mountains. 360 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,720 It may be that you've been laboring strong 361 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,540 and hard in trying to, you know, level 362 00:18:56,540 --> 00:18:59,760 things off, but it seems like the mountain 363 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:00,900 is still there. 364 00:19:01,660 --> 00:19:04,980 And you have come to the conclusion, it 365 00:19:04,980 --> 00:19:06,380 just is too much. 366 00:19:06,660 --> 00:19:07,460 I'm weary. 367 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:08,680 I can't do it. 368 00:19:09,180 --> 00:19:12,160 Well, when we reach the end of our 369 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,400 hoarded resources, our Father's full giving has only 370 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:16,960 begun. 371 00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:20,680 And so there gives the opportunity for God 372 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,300 to begin His work and to do for 373 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:26,780 you what you can't do for yourself. 374 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,060 The work gets done when the Spirit is 375 00:19:32,060 --> 00:19:34,340 the one doing the work. 376 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:42,800 Secondly, you have the assurance that the work 377 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:44,060 is going to be accomplished. 378 00:19:44,940 --> 00:19:47,840 The hands of Zerubbabel, the Lord said, have 379 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,680 laid the foundation of this house, and his 380 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,780 hands also will finish it. 381 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,640 The assurance of God that work is going 382 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:57,540 to be accomplished. 383 00:19:58,140 --> 00:20:01,700 And finally, God gets the work that is 384 00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:03,660 done when it is done. 385 00:20:04,140 --> 00:20:08,780 For we know that we weren't able to 386 00:20:08,780 --> 00:20:10,860 do it and we had given up, but 387 00:20:10,860 --> 00:20:13,060 now that God does it, we can just 388 00:20:13,060 --> 00:20:16,120 watch him and we can just give the 389 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:18,600 glory to God for what he has done. 390 00:20:19,060 --> 00:20:23,660 So he oftentimes waits until we get so 391 00:20:23,660 --> 00:20:27,620 discouraged that we're acknowledging, I can't do it. 392 00:20:27,900 --> 00:20:30,660 And that's what gives him the opportunity to 393 00:20:30,660 --> 00:20:33,740 then step in and do for you what 394 00:20:33,740 --> 00:20:35,420 you can't do for yourself. 395 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:41,320 When he accomplishes his desires and the great 396 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,120 success is always the result, all we can 397 00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:48,420 say is to God be the glory, great 398 00:20:48,420 --> 00:20:50,420 things he hath done. 399 00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:53,900 We look at the challenge of the Great 400 00:20:53,900 --> 00:20:54,420 Commission. 401 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:58,060 Jesus said to his disciples, go ye into 402 00:20:58,060 --> 00:21:00,820 all the world and preach the gospel to 403 00:21:00,820 --> 00:21:01,860 every creature. 404 00:21:02,340 --> 00:21:05,180 He that believeth and is baptized shall be 405 00:21:05,180 --> 00:21:05,620 saved. 406 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,240 He that believeth not shall be damned. 407 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:12,920 And the fact that this commission, we look 408 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:14,500 at the world in which we live and 409 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:16,760 we look at our weaknesses and we think, 410 00:21:17,220 --> 00:21:19,820 how in the world can we ever reach 411 00:21:19,820 --> 00:21:21,200 this world with the gospel? 412 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,140 It seems like, you know, things are really 413 00:21:24,140 --> 00:21:28,620 just impossible, you know, to reach people whose 414 00:21:28,620 --> 00:21:34,060 hearts have become so hardened and so enamored 415 00:21:34,060 --> 00:21:37,360 by the world that they're just not interested 416 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:38,740 in the gospel. 417 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:40,280 How can we do it? 418 00:21:40,340 --> 00:21:41,400 How can we reach them? 419 00:21:41,860 --> 00:21:45,700 Well, not by might nor by power, but 420 00:21:45,700 --> 00:21:48,580 by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts, 421 00:21:48,660 --> 00:21:51,560 this mountain shall be removed. 422 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:55,300 Oftentimes in looking at the difficulty, we're prone 423 00:21:55,300 --> 00:21:57,400 to just sort of give up and shirk 424 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:58,380 from the task. 425 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:02,200 And we say, who is sufficient for these 426 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:02,740 things? 427 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,640 But we must remember that our sufficiency is 428 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,960 not of ourselves, our sufficiency is of Christ. 429 00:22:12,660 --> 00:22:16,640 We often get discouraged because we're looking at 430 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,900 the difficulty of the task rather than at 431 00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:23,500 the sufficiency of Christ. 432 00:22:24,140 --> 00:22:26,940 Maybe you have a mountain of rubble in 433 00:22:26,940 --> 00:22:27,680 your life. 434 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:30,720 You know that it needs to be removed 435 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,240 and perhaps you've even endeavored to remove that 436 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,900 mountain of rubble out of your life because 437 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:40,980 you realize that it is hindering your walk 438 00:22:40,980 --> 00:22:43,060 with the Lord so greatly. 439 00:22:43,860 --> 00:22:46,100 And maybe you've come to that point of 440 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:49,740 almost giving up and just saying, well, just 441 00:22:49,740 --> 00:22:51,560 not gonna happen, it just can't happen. 442 00:22:52,180 --> 00:22:57,920 And know this, it's not by might nor 443 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:01,200 by power, but what the Spirit of God 444 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:04,320 can do, he can move that mountain for 445 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:04,600 you. 446 00:23:05,060 --> 00:23:07,500 I may be too weak for the task, 447 00:23:07,980 --> 00:23:10,720 but he's able to do much more than 448 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,380 I could ask or think. 449 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,860 And with his help, the mountain shall be 450 00:23:15,860 --> 00:23:16,380 removed. 451 00:23:16,980 --> 00:23:20,560 Don't give up, but give in to the 452 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,300 power that God has provided to give to 453 00:23:23,300 --> 00:23:28,300 you the ability to move that mountain. 454 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,660 I know it's impossible for me to move 455 00:23:31,660 --> 00:23:35,680 the mountain, but for him, there's nothing to 456 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:36,040 it. 457 00:23:37,820 --> 00:23:40,940 Reminds me, when we were first starting out 458 00:23:40,940 --> 00:23:44,020 in the ministry, we were pastoring down in 459 00:23:44,020 --> 00:23:48,820 Tucson, Arizona, and our first child was just 460 00:23:48,820 --> 00:23:50,920 18 months old at the time. 461 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:55,320 A brilliant little girl, just a real lover 462 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:56,860 and just the joy of our lives. 463 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:02,420 And smart as a whip, just, she was 464 00:24:02,420 --> 00:24:06,380 so smart and, of course, just, you know, 465 00:24:06,580 --> 00:24:08,720 lived with adults, just her mom and dad. 466 00:24:09,180 --> 00:24:14,080 And she was just so, so, well, just 467 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:15,120 real sharp. 468 00:24:15,660 --> 00:24:18,720 And so we had a Christmas program for 469 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,880 the church, and she had memorized this little 470 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:25,200 poem and did a real good job with 471 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:25,400 it. 472 00:24:25,500 --> 00:24:27,140 And she was going to recite it for 473 00:24:27,140 --> 00:24:28,260 the Christmas program. 474 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:34,040 And I can remember still teaching her, Mama 475 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,020 said I was too little, Daddy said I 476 00:24:36,020 --> 00:24:37,660 couldn't do it, Merry Christmas. 477 00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:39,220 There I said it. 478 00:24:39,580 --> 00:24:41,600 Really, there was nothing to it. 479 00:24:42,020 --> 00:24:44,720 And so it was just a little, but 480 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:47,160 she could say it so clearly, and we 481 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:48,280 were so proud of her. 482 00:24:48,540 --> 00:24:52,220 And so when she, you know, she was 483 00:24:52,220 --> 00:24:55,860 a little hesitant of doing it, but I 484 00:24:55,860 --> 00:24:57,860 said, Honey, I'll buy you that new doll 485 00:24:57,860 --> 00:25:00,540 for Christmas, if you'll, you know, say your 486 00:25:00,540 --> 00:25:01,220 poem, you know. 487 00:25:01,420 --> 00:25:03,260 Because I was so proud of her, you 488 00:25:03,260 --> 00:25:05,280 know, being able to say it so clearly. 489 00:25:05,580 --> 00:25:08,680 And just, she was so little, it was 490 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:09,960 just really remarkable. 491 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,840 And I was just wanting to sort of 492 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,880 show off my little daughter. 493 00:25:15,460 --> 00:25:17,660 And she got up in front of the 494 00:25:17,660 --> 00:25:20,400 people, and I looked down, and her little 495 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:21,260 lip was quivering. 496 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:23,080 And she looked up at me, and she 497 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:24,800 said, I don't want a doll. 498 00:25:33,660 --> 00:25:39,420 She went running off, and I thought, you 499 00:25:39,420 --> 00:25:40,880 know, I felt like a brute. 500 00:25:41,260 --> 00:25:44,000 You know, I saw that little lip quivering, 501 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:46,360 and I thought, you know, I've been pushing 502 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:47,120 her too far. 503 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,180 And, you know, I felt real bad about 504 00:25:49,180 --> 00:25:49,480 it. 505 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:55,360 But, you know, it was just one of 506 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:59,480 those moments that you sort of grew afterwards. 507 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,120 The mountains, they're too big for us. 508 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:10,020 We can't move them, but he can. 509 00:26:10,460 --> 00:26:13,480 And it's not by might, nor by power, 510 00:26:14,220 --> 00:26:17,060 but by his spirit, saith the Lord of 511 00:26:17,060 --> 00:26:17,960 Hosts. 512 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:22,740 So, let's just let him move the mountains 513 00:26:22,740 --> 00:26:23,840 for us. 514 00:26:24,100 --> 00:26:27,060 And he will, if you will just allow 515 00:26:27,060 --> 00:26:27,880 him to do it. 516 00:26:28,180 --> 00:26:31,120 Father, thank you for the help that you 517 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:32,140 give to us. 518 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,260 And Lord, there are those here today who 519 00:26:37,260 --> 00:26:40,140 have mountains of difficulty facing them. 520 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,140 They're looking at the task, and they're looking 521 00:26:43,140 --> 00:26:46,200 at the situation, and they are feeling, Lord, 522 00:26:46,540 --> 00:26:48,700 I just can't do it. 523 00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:52,060 I don't have the energy, I don't have 524 00:26:52,060 --> 00:26:55,800 the ability, I don't even have the desire. 525 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:57,560 It's just too much. 526 00:26:57,880 --> 00:26:59,740 But Lord, I pray that you'll help them 527 00:26:59,740 --> 00:27:02,960 to realize that you are able to do 528 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:07,600 exceeding, abundantly, above all that we could ask 529 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:08,100 or think. 530 00:27:08,580 --> 00:27:11,380 And it isn't by our might or by 531 00:27:11,380 --> 00:27:14,420 our power, but Lord, it is by your 532 00:27:14,420 --> 00:27:17,740 spirit the mountain shall be removed. 533 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,060 And so, Lord, help us that we will 534 00:27:20,060 --> 00:27:22,660 be able to turn over our mountains of 535 00:27:22,660 --> 00:27:25,960 difficulties to you, to allow you to do 536 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:29,460 for us what we cannot do for ourselves. 537 00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:32,600 We ask this, Father, in Jesus' name. 538 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:33,960 Amen. 539 00:27:34,580 --> 00:27:35,780 Shall we stand? 540 00:27:44,210 --> 00:27:46,810 The pastors are down here at the front 541 00:27:46,810 --> 00:27:49,090 to pray for you. 542 00:27:50,490 --> 00:27:52,970 And if there are situations in your life 543 00:27:52,970 --> 00:27:57,170 that are just sort of overwhelming, and you 544 00:27:57,170 --> 00:28:00,450 even hate to think about them because you've 545 00:28:00,450 --> 00:28:03,650 tried everything and nothing seems to be working, 546 00:28:04,450 --> 00:28:08,030 and you've been working on it for a 547 00:28:08,030 --> 00:28:10,110 long time, but it doesn't, you can't see 548 00:28:10,110 --> 00:28:11,150 any progress. 549 00:28:11,370 --> 00:28:13,590 It looks like the mountain is still there. 550 00:28:14,630 --> 00:28:17,310 Time to let the Lord take over. 551 00:28:17,910 --> 00:28:19,350 And so, I would encourage you, come on 552 00:28:19,350 --> 00:28:22,090 down and just say to them, pray for 553 00:28:22,090 --> 00:28:22,390 me. 554 00:28:22,770 --> 00:28:26,250 I just want God's help in dealing with 555 00:28:26,250 --> 00:28:28,510 these issues in my life that are just 556 00:28:28,510 --> 00:28:29,690 more than I can handle. 557 00:28:29,930 --> 00:28:31,630 And they'll be happy to pray for you, 558 00:28:31,790 --> 00:28:34,170 and God will be happy to move those 559 00:28:34,170 --> 00:28:35,450 mountains for you. 560 00:28:35,650 --> 00:28:37,870 So, may the Lord be with you, may 561 00:28:37,870 --> 00:28:40,490 the Lord bless you, and may he move 562 00:28:40,490 --> 00:28:43,050 mountains for you this week. 563 00:28:43,470 --> 00:28:45,270 In Jesus' name we pray. 564 00:29:09,470 --> 00:29:17,390 Give us this day our daily bread, and 565 00:29:17,390 --> 00:29:23,050 forgive us our debts as we forgive our 566 00:29:23,050 --> 00:29:29,370 debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but 567 00:29:29,370 --> 00:29:36,130 deliver us from evil, for thine is the 568 00:29:36,130 --> 00:29:36,730 kingdom, and the power, and the glory, and 569 00:29:36,730 --> 00:29:36,830 the glory, and the glory, and the glory, 570 00:29:36,830 --> 00:29:36,930 and the glory, and the glory, and the 571 00:29:36,930 --> 00:29:37,030 glory, and the glory, and the glory, and 572 00:29:37,030 --> 00:29:37,130 the glory, and the glory, and the glory, 573 00:29:37,130 --> 00:29:37,230 and the glory, and the glory, and the 574 00:29:37,230 --> 00:29:37,330 glory, and the glory, and the glory, and 575 00:29:37,330 --> 00:29:37,430 the glory, and the glory, and the glory, 576 00:29:37,430 --> 00:29:37,530 and the glory, and the glory, and the 577 00:29:37,530 --> 00:29:37,630 glory, and the glory, and the glory, and 578 00:29:37,630 --> 00:29:37,730 the glory, and the glory, and the glory, 579 00:29:37,730 --> 00:29:37,830 and the glory, and the glory, and the 580 00:29:37,830 --> 00:29:37,930 glory, and the glory, and the glory, and 581 00:29:37,930 --> 00:29:38,030 the glory, and the glory, and the glory, 582 00:29:38,030 --> 00:29:38,130 and the glory, and the glory, and the 583 00:29:38,130 --> 00:29:38,230 glory, and the glory, and the glory, and 584 00:29:38,230 --> 00:29:38,330 the glory, and the glory, and the glory, 585 00:29:38,330 --> 00:30:05,520 and the 586 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:06,540 glory, and the glory, and the glory, Perry