I
am a visional learner. I learn and retain information best when I can see it. I
love the word pictures that God places all through His Word.
One
of those word pictures is found in Zechariah 3.
Zechariah
3:1-2
Then
He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and
Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan,
“The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is
not this a brand plucked from the fire.”
God
shows Zechariah a vison. Joshua the high priest was standing before the angel
of the Lord. And to the right of Joshua, Satan was standing and Satan was
accusing Joshua. God rebuked Satan.
This
is a picture of what is true spiritually of all of us as followers of Jesus.
According
to 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 6:19 we, our bodies, are the temple of the Holy
Spirit. We are in God’s presence all the time because, through the Holy Spirit,
God indwells us.
Satan
is always standing ready to accuse us. He condemns us and accuses us to God. He
wants us to feel separated and isolated from God. He wants God to reject us.
Zechariah
3:3-4
Now
Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the
angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments
from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from
you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”
Joshua
is standing before God with clothes on that are filthy.
This
is a picture of what we were like before we surrendered our lives to Jesus.
Paul
describes us before knowing Jesus in Ephesians 2:1-5. Paul says that we were:
Dead
in our trespasses and sins
Walking
in the values and attitudes of the world
Following
Satan
Disobedient
to God
Giving
in to the emotions and passions of our bodies
Children
of wrath
Being
like those who have no faith in God
We
were living in spiritual filth.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is recognizing that we are dirty with sin
without Jesus.
Zechariah
3:5
And
I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban
on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was
standing by.
Clean
clothing was put on Joshua. This turban and clothing represent that we have
been clothed with righteousness and holiness.
Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that for our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no
sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Then
Paul says in Ephesians 1:4 that even as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
We
are declared by God to be righteous and holy.
God
takes off our filthy clothing of sin and puts new clothing of righteousness and
holiness on us.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is recognizing that we have been clothed by God
with righteousness and holiness.
Zechariah
3:6-7
And
the angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If
you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, then you shall rule My house and
have charge of My courts, and I will give you the right of access among those
who are standing here.”
When
we allow God to remove our sin by accepting Jesus’ death on the cross to pay
for our sins, and then God declaring us righteous and holy, we then live under
the power and authority of God. We also have direct access to God. We know that
we are never separated from God and His love.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that out of God’s grace we are
saved, connected with God, and that we will never be separated from God.
This
passage is a picture of us before God: filthy in our sin, and God’s grace
removing our sin and making us righteous and holy by His grace.
We
are never to forget that it is by God’s grace, not our goodness, that we are
righteous and holy. That way we can be humble because it is not about us; it is
all about Jesus.
By God’s Grace Making
Us Righteous and Holy,
Raising the Roof and
Removing the Walls,
Joe
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