{"id":860,"date":"2024-02-22T19:46:29","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T19:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/?page_id=860"},"modified":"2025-12-15T20:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T20:43:08","slug":"do-great-things","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/do-great-things\/","title":{"rendered":"DO GREAT THINGS!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do Great Things<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zechariah 4:1-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, good morning! It\u2019s great to see you all here today. Thank you for joining us on this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I want to speak directly to our graduates (first), and then to the rest of you (second). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too often we finish one season of life with great celebration, only to be stifled by fear or doubt about the next season of our lives.\u00a0And quite often, I\u2019ve sat with graduating seniors and listened to both their dreams and their woes about graduating. While they were excited to transition from adolescence into adulthood, they were also gripped with fear of the future and the pressures of having to declare a major or a direction for their future (and it sort of paralyzed their hopes).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, this morning, I want to help you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to take you to an Old Testament<\/strong> passage that teaches us about the way God works in us to \u2014 as He empowers us to not just SURVIVE<\/strong>, but to THRIVE<\/strong> each and every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, it\u2019s my hope \u2014 that by the end of this message, you\u2019ll no longer question your future, or your dreams, or your abilities \u2014 but that you will come to grips with the fact that God is with you and for you, and if you\u2019ll fully surrender your life to Him, that He EMPOWER you with His Spirit to DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIM! Amen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me show you TWO WAYS God\u2019s Spirit works in our lives for His glory and our good!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have your Bible, would you turn with me to the Old Testament book of Zechariah?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know this is probably not a book you read often (but over the years, it\u2019s become one of my favorites). Mainly, because it is so encouraging. While it is filled with mystery and word pictures and prophetic language — it is also filled with hope and encouragement as well. So, I\u2019ll try to point this out today as we make our way through a few of it’s verses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re still having a hard time finding it \u2014 let me help you. Turn to the first book of the New Testament (the book of Matthew), then turn back two books (just before Malachi). And there you’ll find it. We’ll be in Zechariah, chapter 4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To sort of set the stage for what we\u2019re going to read, let me tell you the back story. And if you\u2019ve been attending our Wednesday Bible Studies lately, you\u2019ll be familiar with some of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many years ago, some 2500 years or so\u2014God\u2019s people struggled to remain faithful to Him. Instead of trusting in Him, they rejected their faith in God for other things. They began to serve the false gods of their day \u2014 they abandoned their worship practices (quit going to the temple for worship, quit caring for the poor, quit supporting ministry, quit giving back to God<\/strong> a portion of their resources, and many other things). And in the end, they were living just like the pagan nations that surrounded them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, God released His supernatural protection from them and worse yet \u2014 He used the pagan nations they wanted to be like to bring correction upon them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it wasn\u2019t long after that \u2014 that the nation of Babylon came marching upon them and they defeated them. They destroyed their walls, and their temple, and their homes. And took large numbers of the people back as captives \u2014 to Babylon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, as time went on, God favored His people once again. And He showed them mercy. But weeks of captivity turned into years, and years into decades. But through it all, God was with them. He promised to return them to Jerusalem. And after 70 years He did.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God organized their release, by using a Persian King named Cyrus. Initially a small group of them were released to go back and reestablish their home land. And as they did, one of their men (a man named Zerubbabel) was assigned the role of Governor. Together, he and the High Priest of the day (a man named Joshua) sought to refocus the people by rebuilding the altar for worship \u2014 and by rebuilding the Temple to honor God.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they faced many challenges along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Zechariah chapter 4, we come to a part of their story \u2014 where God was speaking to the prophet about what He would do through these two guys and the remnant of His faithful people. But I want you to recognize that NONE OF THESE PEOPLE were great, powerful, or mighty people. They were simple people \u2014 out of their leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They must have felt very insignificant and small. They must have battled with fear and insecurity, and doubt about their future. But God had BIG PLANS for them (because they trusted in Him \u2014 and were faithful to Him).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, it\u2019s this part of the story that Zechariah tells that I believe really speaks to our lives today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In chapter 4, the prophet tells us about one of his visions (and he\u2019s had several so far, but this one really hits home for us). So, follow along as I read. Beginning in verse 1, the prophet writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/em><\/strong> Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. <\/em>2 <\/em><\/strong>He asked me, \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d I answered, \u201cI see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. <\/em>3 <\/em><\/strong>Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me pause and help you picture what he sees. He says, I saw what looked like a BIG LAMPSTAND with 7 places where it burned. Think of an oil lamp with 7 wicks. And on top of it was a BIG BOWL (that held the oil) and 7 tubes or channels that fed the oil to the 7 wicks (so they could burn).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And beside this stood TWO OLIVE TREES (one on the left and one on the right). Let\u2019s read on in verse 4. The prophet Zechariah says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 <\/em><\/strong>I asked the angel who talked with me, \u201cWhat are these, my lord?\u201d <\/em>5 <\/em><\/strong>He answered, \u201cDo you not know what these are?\u201d \u201cNo, my lord,\u201d I replied.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the humor of this. It seems strange to the angel that the prophet didn\u2019t know what he was seeing \u2014 or what it represented. But in verse 6<\/strong> he continues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 <\/em><\/strong>So he said to me, \u201cThis is the word of the Lord to <\/em>Zerubbabel<\/em><\/strong>: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the new governor<\/strong> \u2014 and to Him God<\/strong> says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,\u2019 says the Lord Almighty.<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is secret to doing great things for God. It\u2019s not by might nor power\u2014butby the Spirit of God. And so, God continues in verse 7 by addressing the challenges before him, and says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 <\/em><\/strong>\u201cWhat are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of \u2018God bless it! God bless it!\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God<\/strong> says, while there may appear to be a MIGHTY MOUNTAIN in your way \u2014 a huge challenge before you, I will reduce it to level ground. And when you build that TEMPLE and finally lay the last stone, the CAPSTONE, everyone will see that I HAVE DONE THIS THROUGH YOU \u2014 and they will shout praises to God (because this is ultimately GOD\u2019S WORK).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this brings is to the first point that the prophet is making here. And it\u2019s this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. GOD MAKES GREAT THINGS SMALL! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words there are times in our lives when we face seemingly impossible problems and challenges \u2014 hardships and obstacles, all things that are in a very real sense stand before us like \u201cMIGHTY MOUNTAINS\u201d blocking our paths.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our experiences teach us that when we ask for God\u2019s help, He is able to make these great things small. In the story we\u2019re studying this morning, that\u2019s exactly what God did. He made the mighty mountain that stood (towering in over the dream of Zerubbabel) SMALL.\u00a0And according to scripture, God is no respecter of persons. If He would do it for Zerubbabel, then He will do it for you.\u00a0And I think the more important think to remember is that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing is impossible with God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too often we come to a MIGHTY MOUNTAIN, and we become discouraged and distraught. But when we begin to see things from His perspective \u2014 even the MIGHTIEST OF MOUNTAINS look small.\u00a0From God\u2019s perspective, Zerubbabel\u2019s \u201cmountain\u201d was more like a SPEED BUMP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And maybe that\u2019s what\u2019s God meant when He spoke to Isaiah when He described the way He would work in the lives of His followers because when Christ would come. In Isaiah 40:4, He said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level,<\/em>the rugged places a plain.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaiah 40:4 (NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Zerubbabel\u2019s case, He was saying that what seemed like an unscalable mountain \u2014 that great task of leading His people back to their homeland and rebuilding the Temple of God would be accomplished. He was saying, \u201cDON\u2019T GIVE UP! KEEP BELIEVING!\u201d For in time, he would complete the task to which he had been assigned.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you know, I believe that God had these words written down and preserved all these centuries because this message wasn\u2019t just for ZERUBBABEL. God meant these words for you and me as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wants those of us who live in today to know that we should not worry about the \u201cmountains\u201d we face in life either \u2014 because the same MOUNTAIN-MOVING POWER that was available to Zer<\/strong>ubbabel thousands of years ago is available to us today!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know, throughout my life I have faced many UNSCALABLE MOUNTAINS \u2014 many problems and challenges (that at the time) I knew were burdens I could never bare on my own. But each time I\u2019ve given my problem to God, He has done for me just as He did for Zerubbabel.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has leveled the mountains in my path. And through it all, He\u2019s reminded me again and again of the necessity for me to trust in Him \u2014 as I rely upon Him to make the GREAT THINGS SMALL!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, God has taught me that I can overcome every mountain \u2014 but it won\u2019t be by my might nor by power but by (HIS) SPIRIT, says the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biblical record states time after time that God did this. Remember how . . .\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned the Great Red Sea into a dry path so that the people of Israel could walk across safely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n