2024-04-07AM- Oil for the Lamps

Zechariah chapter 4. Zechariah chapter 4. We'll begin reading with verse 1. And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold, a candlestick all of gold and a bowl upon the top of it, and the seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof. And the two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my Lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. A very familiar portion of Scripture there. This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Please pray with me. Thank You so much today, God, for Sunday morning meeting. Thank You for what we have heard already. Thank You for what I felt. Thank You for the privilege, the honor, the opportunity here to worship together with brothers and sisters. But Lord, right now, God, I am needing the anointing from on high. So I'm praying that You'll move in the remainder of this service. You know what needs to be done here. And I pray that You'll handle it, Lord, as gently and as wonderfully and as powerfully as You do. I give this to You today in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Zechariah 4 here begins, The angel that talked with me came again, waked me as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. The timing of our text here, this is getting towards the end of the Old Testament. This is that time, you remember, when Israel and Judah had rebelled so badly against God that He had sent prophets to them, rising early and sending them, He said, and told them, if you don't get straightened out, if you don't work things out like according to My Word, things are not going to work out well for you. I will send an enemy. Not just your enemy, but God's enemy that will be used to carry those people away. And it happened exactly like that. The Bible tells us, gives us the record how the nation of Israel was carried away by Nebuchadnezzar and those of Babylon, the Chaldeans. And that for decades, for decades, they had to go through this correcting period. They were carried away for 70 years. I mean, there's just a handful of people left in the land of Israel. Very poor people. While the nation is carried away and things transpire while they're there. The Babylonians don't get to keep the authority over them all. It falls to the Medes and to the Persians. But there comes a point after decades of being in captivity that the children of Israel are suddenly, unexpected to them, are allowed to go back home. And it's not because some great deliverer rises up in the midst of them and says, we're going to take over. We're getting out of here. It's not that. It's because God Almighty reaches down into the heart of a pagan king, turns his heart just like God said He can do, and tells the people, you're going back home. I'm going to send you back home. You go ahead and rebuild the city. You go ahead and rebuild the temple. You go ahead and worship like you know that you want to do. As a matter of fact, here's my checkbook. Here's my credit card. Just put it all on here. I'll take care of the expense. So what an amazing thing. But it was the fulfillment of the Scriptures. And what happened at that point, there was a small amount of people. Now, you would think that when that message goes out, you can go home. You can return. You can be a free people. You can have liberty. You would think that, I mean, everybody would pick up their stuff and say, we're heading out, and at daybreak tomorrow, we're making the journey back home. But you know what happens so much, just like when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to a congregation, that there is a small number of people who respond to that invitation. A lot of them, they've gotten so used to living in their sin, and the questions come up, well, I don't know what it will be like for me. I don't know how I'll be able to live like that. I imagine that there were people that were still in Babylon. They called them now. I mean, they didn't call them the children of the Lord anymore. They didn't say that these were the children of Jacob. Now they became known as the children of the captivity. What a big change for them. But I imagine that there were those who were born there, and all they could hear about is what home used to be like. But this is all I know. And if I go back there, I won't have this anymore. And I won't be able to enjoy this anymore. And I don't know what the future holds. So people hold back. Just today, they do the very same thing at the hearing of the Gospel. That was what those people did. But the Bible tells us that at that time, among those who traveled back into the land of Israel, back to Jerusalem, there were two men who stepped up into a leadership position. One was the high priest. His name was Joshua. The other one was named Zerubbabel, and he was the governor over the area at that time. And they kind of took leadership and people looked to them. And what they decided to do, that's what the people would do. Well, these two men decided, well, we need to get back into Jerusalem. Walls need to be built. A temple needs to be built. But they said, first things first, we're going to build an altar. And so the Bible says that they built an altar. And they began to renew the old sacrifices. They began to follow the law of Moses as best they could at that point in time. Things were coming together. There was restoration that was being made. Zerubbabel and Joshua saw to it. People were gathering together and they were meeting at the altar. Things were getting made right. Things were working along. And time progresses. For two years, it goes like this. There's no temple. There's no walls. There's hardly any. But there's an altar. And for two years, they stayed dedicated to this altar. And at some point, these two men, Zerubbabel and Joshua, say, alright, we've stayed with this altar for this long, but God's got a plan. There's a going forward that we need to do. The altar has worked wonderful. We've responded like we should. We've made the sacrifices. We've done the best that we can. But now it's time to step up and start working on the temple. We want to rebuild the temple. Now it's very important that these people rebuild the temple. You'll find if you continue to read there in the book of Zechariah, that it would be this city that the Messiah was going to come to. We read about it around the Easter time in how the Bible tells us that He would come on the colt, the foal of an ass. Zechariah's the one who prophesied of that. And so, Ezra tells us about this history of the laying of the foundation of the temple when they decide they're going to do this. The people get together and they lay the foundation of the temple. You'll find it in Ezra 3. There are people there that are old. They remember the old temple before it got destroyed. There are new people there that had never seen the temple, had only heard about its glory. But the Bible tells us that when the foundation of the temple got laid, people got excited. We're moving forward. We're doing what God wants us to do. The foundation is laid. Some are crying because they're so happy. Remember in the old temple, some are shouting and rejoicing because they're so happy. We're going to build the temple of God. We're back in our homeland. We're doing what God wants us to do. Shortly after the foundation gets laid, opposition comes along. And the Bible tells us in the book of Ezra that critics come and start to throw a wrench in their plans and start saying you can't do this. And they go to the king, the new king, and complain. And the new king comes down and says we're done here. We're not building this temple. Leave it alone. It goes for nearly 20 years like that. They've got the altar and they've got a foundation that's laid. Twenty years almost. People just walk past it and get used to it. And they move on with their lives. People begin to build careers. They build their own homes. And so there comes a point where God raises up two other men, the prophet Haggai and the prophet Zechariah. And these two men come on the scene, not one after the other, but at the same time. And they're preaching the same message. It's time to get to work on the temple. You've got the foundation laid. You know what it is, the sacrifice on God's altar, but it's time to move forward with the plans. And so these men, one was a little more harsh than the other. Haggai, you'll find him saying, what in the world are you doing? You think it's time to work on your house and let the house of God go to waste? You think it's alright to build your own house and not have any paying attention to the temple of God? He's telling them there's a reason things aren't working out for you right now. You're ignoring the work of God while you're satisfying your own personal life. But Zechariah comes along and he's a little bit more gentle about it. But he reminds the people there's a reason. There's a place that God has for us to be. And so the Bible tells us that Zechariah gets visions. He gets to see things from God Himself. And he shares those things with all the people. This is what God is saying to the people right now. And so this man is seeing visions. He's hearing from God and he's preaching. And we come to this place in Zechariah 4, that the Bible says in the first verse, the angel that talked with me in the past comes again and he wakes me up. Because while Zechariah's sleeping, God's working on a vision. God's working on a plan. And he sends an angel to Zechariah and he wakes him up. And he says, open your eyes, Zechariah. Tell me what you see. And the Bible says that he says, I looked and behold, a candlestick of gold with a bowl upon the top of it and its seven lamps thereon, seven pipes to the seven lamps which are upon the top thereof, two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof. I'm going to try to describe this. I had thought about trying to draw one, but I didn't do it. But you've all seen a menorah. You've seen that candlestick that was in the tabernacle. Exodus 25, the Bible tells us how God told Moses, this is what you're going to do. I want you to make this candlestick. This is what it's going to look like. It's going to have a stem and it's going to have seven lights upon the top of it. You remember seeing it kind of curves up and seven lights across the top of it? He said you're going to set it in the holy place in the tabernacle opposite from the table of showbread. The whole reason that that candlestick is going to be there simply is this. It's going to give light. Otherwise, that room that it sat in was dark. There's no skylights. There's no door openings. There's no windows in there. It would have been dark. And it was a thing to provide light. So this is what Zechariah sees. He sees a candlestick with seven lamps upon the top. So it would be familiar to Zechariah. I know what this is. This comes out of the temple. This comes out of the tabernacle. But that's where the similarity ends. Because Zechariah looks and he says, well, there's more to it than what I remember about this menorah, about this candlestick with the seven lamps across the top. He says on the top I see a bowl. And from the bowl is coming seven pipes down to each lamp. That's what I see. And not only do I see the bowl atop of this candlestick, but I also see an olive tree on either side of the candlestick. So this is pretty different for Zechariah. He's not really understanding. And so he asks the angel, what are these? It's a good question for somebody. If you don't understand, don't just say, well, that was awesome. I saw a vision. Or I read something. But what simply does it mean? And so the angel answers kind of like a holiness preacher. You're not getting this, are you? Have you ever heard somebody say that? Pretty common I think among our ranks. You're not getting this, are you? The angel looks like it and he says, no. No, I don't get it. I really don't understand. And so the angel gives the man of God a reply to tell him exactly what this is all about. Now I want to explain to you what it was that Zechariah saw. He saw that candlestick. And I don't know how big it is. Some people paint it. I mean, that it is tall on the floor. It's not just some little thing that sits on a desk somewhere. But it's quite large. It was there to give light. Now, in the law, in the tabernacle, you'll find in Exodus 25 that this was supposed to be made. But in Exodus 27, you'll find that the priests, the sons of Aaron, it was their responsibility every day to make sure that that candlestick had oil in those cups because it was supposed to always burn. The people, the common people, the congregation, the nation of Israel, were to go out, go to the olive trees, beat down the olives, process the olive oil until it was pure, and bring it to the priests. And the priests would hold on to that oil. And daily, they would make sure, I've got oil in this lamp. It's still burning. We can still keep it going. It was a responsibility of the people and it was a responsibility of the priests to make sure that that lampstand continued to burn. Common to Zechariah. He'd know what that was all about. But something different is here for Zechariah. I don't understand why I'm seeing a bowl and why there's pipes going to each lamp. I don't understand that I see two olive trees on either side. And so he gets the answer from the angel here because he says, I'm going to tell you what this is all about, Zechariah. This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel saying, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. What Zechariah was seeing here was this big lampstand, this candlestick that had the opportunity to be lit and to burn. And in the bowl would be the olive oil with pipes that are leading down so that nobody's having to check that little cup on top. Top it off and make sure it's... Top off the next one. Go down the line. You don't have to because now something is feeding the candlestick. There's always oil because it's coming straight from the bowl. What he sees, I think, next is more phenomenal than that. That there are two olive trees on either side and there are golden pipes coming from the olive tree into the bowl. So now not only is the candlestick being fed from the bowl, but the bowl is being fed from the olive trees. What is happening here is Zechariah is seeing that nobody has to make sure that this work gets done. Zechariah is seeing that it's not a man, that it's not a crowd, that it's not somebody working it up. It's not somebody making sure that things happen. But he said that it's constantly being fed straight from the tree itself and it is a never-ending supply of oil right into that lamp. Now I don't have to remind you that the book of Revelation 1, that when John saw the seven golden candlesticks, it was revealed to him. He said that's the church. And the church is represented by a candlestick. And can I tell you that while that was meant for them there, there are lessons that we can take away from it for ourselves. That there is a power. There is an everlasting power. There is something that is continuous. It is consistent. And it will never run out. And as long as the bowl is connected to the lampstand, and as long as the olive trees are connected to the bowl, the light of the church is able to stay lit. He said it's not by might, Zechariah. I think too often we get concerned about how much we know. And you know what? He's a pretty smart fellow. I think he can get a lot done for the Kingdom of God. Somebody's quite an eloquent speaker. He knows how to put words together. That would be really useful in the Kingdom of God seeing people saved and the church going forward. Somebody might say he's got a real outgoing personality. He's an extrovert. He can talk to anybody. Perfect for the ministry. Somebody might say he's got a lot of zeal. And that can just really do well for the work of God. But here Zechariah says, you tell Zerubbabel as much as you'd like to do, as much as you'd like to use the talents that you have, as much as you'd like to say, I've studied well for this, and I know how to handle myself. He said it's not by your might, Zerubbabel. It's not by your powers, Zerubbabel. But it's by the Spirit of the Most High God. And God can take somebody without a lick of talent. God can take somebody that cannot speak. God can take somebody that has no ability whatsoever, but let him get connected to the power of God. And let him be used. And let all the glory be given to God. Hallelujah. The Bible says Jesus Himself said, Ye are the light of the world. How is the light going to stay lit unless we've got oil with which the anointing, the Spirit of God, we're told to shine forth as lights in this world? You can polish the candlestick, but it's not going to give off light. It takes a fire burning within the lampstand. And it takes oil. It takes the anointing of the Holy Ghost in order for the light to do some good. The Bible says, not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. You know why? Because the wise man will think that it's his wisdom. Because the mighty man will think that it's his strength. Because the noble man will think it's his connections and his ability in society. But it is the Spirit of Almighty God that makes the difference. Not by might. I'm glad for every ounce of talent that we have in this place. But talent will not see people saved. I am glad for knowledge in this place. Brother Michael read this morning that knowledge puffeth up. We get the place where we know so much. Stick our noses in the air about what we know and somebody else doesn't. But it's not going to do anybody an ounce of good. Let me tell you what every ounce of ability needs and what every ounce of inability needs. We need to be filled with the Holy Ghost. We don't need just an opportunity where we come forward, God moves on us, our lips begin to move, and our tongue begins to speak in an unknown tongue, and we walk away and say we've got it. But I believe that we need to have the bowl hovering about us with pipes running into the soul, with the trees on either side constantly supplying that pure, beaten olive oil, the anointing of the Holy Ghost, so that we're saved, that we're sanctified, that we are full of the Holy Ghost. Having such an opportunity to stay with God and for God to stay with us. You remember the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost when it was fully come? In Acts 2, that man gets filled with the Holy Ghost. And he preaches like he couldn't preach before. And he wasn't saying, look, I'm a fisherman. I can relate to the fishermen in the crowd. He didn't say I'm an extrovert and this can be used for God's glory. No, he stood up different than he'd ever been before. And he preached. And thousands of people got saved because he was filled with the Holy Ghost. But time went on. Peter wasn't like a bunch of us. Oh yeah, I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I haven't seen it move on me in a long time. I haven't seen the Holy Ghost use me in a long, long time. It would be 30 years or so that the Apostle Peter would sit down with a quill and begin to write two epistles to the strangers that are scattered. Here he is being moved on by the Holy Ghost 30 years after the initial opportunity, the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Peter is still full of the Holy Ghost. He can hear it from God. He's able to minister to people. He's able to write the Holy Scriptures as the Holy Ghost moves upon him. And he makes a difference. How does it happen? It's because he's staying connected. It's because the oil is constantly being poured into his vessel. So he's always ready with a light. Our church needs, needs, needs a congregation that is full of the Holy Ghost. I'm not telling you that that means that we'll run every service. I'm not telling you that we're going to get to the place where everyone is knocked down and our symbols are turned up. It may not be the place that our music gets louder and faster every service. But what I am saying is there's an opportunity for every individual at Gospel Light Holiness Church to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost and to remain full of the Holy Ghost. I hear often, and I don't know, we get in a place where we talk about I got refilled with the Holy Ghost. And that's alright, because if you ran dry, then you need another experience. You need to get refilled with the Holy Ghost. But wouldn't it be great that you didn't go a day? That you didn't go a week? That you didn't go five years without being full of the Holy Ghost? Because you're staying close and it's constantly being put in you. I believe that's what God wants for the church today. I believe that's how the church is going to glow. Because they've got knowledge too. Because they've got talent too. Because they've got abilities. They've got eloquence. They've got systems and plans and programs. But we have got to have the Spirit of God. That's what the angel's telling Zechariah. Look, Zechariah, it's not somebody making sure that's coming back and checking to see how low it is. It is a constant supply. It is consistent in its supply. There is a constant feed of the oil to the lampstand. I mean, you don't have to worry about it going out. You won't run into the tabernacle to the holy place and say, oh my goodness, two of the lamps have gone out. We need more oil. If it's always there, it is a perpetual flame. And I believe God wants that in our lives. He said it's not going to be you doing it. It's not going to be you doing it. It's not going to be you doing it. You are not going to get credit for this. It is not because you have worked yourself out or you've gotten such abilities of how you can do things and it doesn't matter how many people are impressed with who you are and what you do. He said it's going to be by My Spirit saith the Lord of hosts. Not by your might. Not by your power. But by My Spirit saith the Lord of hosts. That is what we need in this hour. Last Sunday night we had communion here and we had a foot washing service. We've said for several times that there's people around here that need the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I was glad to hear three men say last week, I need the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. You know what I'd like to hear? I'd like to hear some other people say, I need the Holy Ghost too. Well, I thought you had the Holy Ghost. Yeah, I did. But you know what? I didn't have a bowl. And I didn't have a tree standing beside me. But I let it run dry. And I went about my own business. And I tried to do things in my own way. And I tried to figure it out. And I thought that it would work, but it's not working because I've got to have the power of the Holy Ghost in me. Stand with me. Brother, come get a song. Hallelujah. We need the Holy Ghost moving in us, on us, about us, making us do things. Oh, but what if they come in and say yes under the influence of the Holy Ghost? What are we afraid of? I'd rather them come in. And when we shake hands, we may not shout. We may not jerk. We may not speak in an unknown tongue. But something happens in that connection that there's an oily feel to it. There's an anointed feel to it because there's a presence from on high that dwells with us, that walks with us, that all of a sudden somebody says, it's light around here. There's power in this place that I've never felt anywhere else. Well, what was it? Was it that brother, the way he delivered the Word? No. No, because I've heard better preaching than that. Was it that singing? No. No, they couldn't get the PA worked out all that well. Was it the piano playing? No. No, she was good. But I mean, I've heard a lot better than that. It was something different. Let it be the power of God that is poured upon us, continually moving in us, that we don't walk away and say, I got it. I got it. So I'm going to open up the altar. And I want you to do what you feel like you need to do. If you need to bury your face in this carpet and say, I ain't getting it, God. I'm not quite getting a hold of this. He's saying that we need the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I've already said I've got the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But are you connected by a pipe? Is the bowl flowing forth with the Spirit of God? Are there priests standing next to you with a never-ending supply of oil coming into your lamp so that it never goes dim? Would you come on in? Find a place and let's talk to God about this experience of ours. That it's no longer me. It's not what I'm trying. It's not me working on the harmony so that I can get it right. It's not me trying to find the right words to string them together so they sound awesome, but to have the power of God in everything that we do. Don't cry when all there is is a place, a place. Put us in a place where we'll be safe. Put us in a place where our speech sounds like we've got the Holy Ghost. Put us in a place where our songs sound like we've got the Holy Ghost. Where our praying sounds like we've got the Holy Ghost. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, God, that I love you. Oh, let it be more, oh God, than I should pray for the Holy Ghost.