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Please turn in your Bibles to 
Zechariah chapter three. We'll return to our exposition 
of Colossians, but this evening to switch things up a bit and 
look at Zechariah this morning and Colossians tonight while 
you're turning to Zechariah. For those who have not been in 
our evening services where we're dealing with this particular 
book, just to give you a bit of the historical context, God 
judged his people in the sixth century B.C. And a means by which 
or the means by which he did this was to send Babylon, who 
was the world empire at the time under the command of Nebuchadnezzar, 
to go to Jerusalem and to destroy the city, to destroy the temple 
and to take its inhabitants back to Babylon for a period of 70 
years. Well, the Book of Zechariah picks 
up after that event. It is post-exilic or after the 
exile. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah 
ministered to the people of God after the exile in the midst 
of their rebuilding the temple and in the establishment again 
of the city of Jerusalem. So that is the historical context 
of the Book of Zechariah. And in Zechariah chapters one, 
verse seven, all the way to chapter six, verse fifteen. The prophet 
had a series of night visions, means he saw certain truths concerning 
God in his kingdom. And the specific date, if you're 
interested, was February 15th, 519 B.C. It was three and one 
half months after his initial message of chapter one, verses 
one to six. And it was two months after Haggai's 
final message. And it was about five months 
after the building of the temple commenced. And this fourth night 
vision that will take up here in chapter three is essentially 
a picture of the Christian gospel. And I'll read at Zechariah chapter 
three, beginning in verse one. Then he showed me Joshua, the 
high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan 
standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said 
to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen 
Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from 
the fire? Joshua was clothed with filthy 
garments and was standing before the angel. Then he answered and 
spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy 
garments from him. And to him he said, See, I have 
removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich 
robes. And I said, Let them put a clean turban on his head. So 
they put a clean turban on his head and they put the clothes 
on him. And the angel of the Lord stood 
by. Then the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, Thus 
says the Lord of hosts, If you will walk in my ways and if you 
will keep my command, Then you shall also judge my house and 
likewise have charge of my courts. I will give you places to walk 
among those who stand here here. Oh, Joshua, the high priest, 
you and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous 
sign. For behold, I am bringing forth 
my servant, the branch. For behold, the stone that I 
have laid before Joshua upon the stone or seven eyes. Behold, 
I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts. and I 
will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, 
says the Lord of hosts, everyone will invite his neighbor under 
his vine and under his fig tree. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we come before you now and we thank you for 
your word. We thank you that all scripture 
is given by inspiration of God and that it's profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness. 
We pray even this morning, God, that we would be encouraged afresh 
at this glorious vision, this wonderful picture of what you 
do in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We thank you for your sovereign 
grace. We thank you for your great mercy. We thank you for 
your great love. And we pray even now, Father, 
that your spirit would be at work in our hearts and in our 
minds and cause these things to be written deep in our in 
our consciences, that we would that we would reflect often upon 
our great Redeemer, our great Lord Jesus Christ. For certainly 
this vision is all about him. And we pray in Christ's most 
blessed name. Amen. Well, notice the particular 
man here, Joshua, the high priest. Sometimes when we hear a name 
in the scripture, it immediately conjures up someone else. This 
is not Joshua, the successor of Moses, who led the nation 
of Israel into conquer the land of Canaan. Just the same name. 
But several centuries later, Joshua was one of the men who 
returned with the other exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. And he, as the scripture identifies, 
here was, in fact, the high priest. And as we look at this particular 
vision, it breaks down into three sections. The first observation 
will make is on the high priest's filthy garments in verses one 
to four. Secondly, we'll notice the high 
priest's clean garments in verses five to seven, and then the significance 
of this change of garments in verses eight to ten. And that 
points forward to the one identified in this passage as God's servant, 
as God's branch, even our Lord Jesus, the mediator of the new 
covenant. But notice first, with reference 
to the high priest's filthy garments, the scene is one of a legal controversy. Notice in verse one, then he 
showed me Joshua, the high priest standing before the angel of 
the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. Now, the high priest after the 
exile would perhaps have achieved a bit more prominence than he 
even had prior to the exile. Remember that in this particular 
context, there was no longer a king in Israel. They had a 
governor and that man's name was Zerubbabel. And so Zerubbabel 
and Joshua were sort of leaders within the nation itself. So 
Zechariah, as he's having this vision, looks up into this heavenly 
court and he sees Joshua, the high priest, standing there. 
Now, Joshua is functioning representatively. That means he's representing 
all of God's people on behalf In this particular situation, 
we notice there in verse two, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem 
rebukes. It's not just Joshua and his 
filthy garments, but he is standing as a representative for the entirety 
of God's people and their filth, their sin before the living and 
the true God. We notice in this controversy, 
the devil is there. The devil identified here as 
Satan or the accuser of the brethren or the adversary. He is never 
far removed, brethren. Peter tells us that he roams 
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. When you 
read the book of Job, you see Satan right there in the presence 
of God, accusing Job before the Lord Most High. You see that 
in Revelation chapter 12 at his casting out. We see that he was 
the accuser of the brethren. And in a sermon by Robert Murray 
McShane on conversion, he points out how Satan is always opposed 
to conversion. Satan always opposes at the bar 
of God. Satan is always right there to 
say, how in the world could you ever love such a one like this? 
How in the world could you ever set your affections on one this 
bad? Satan is always there, brethren, 
to accuse at the bar of conscience also. Always telling us and always 
whispering to us, how in the world could God ever love one 
like you? How in the world could God ever 
accept one as filthy as you? So Satan is present and we see 
that Joshua and Satan are before the Lord God Most High. Notice 
it specifies the filth of the high priest when he mentions 
that he sees the high priest. What would we expect? Well, if 
you're familiar with the Old Testament in the book of Exodus, 
specifically in Exodus chapter 28, it details what the high 
priest was to wear. It was to be extravagant. It 
was to be glorious. It was full of pomp and majesty. He was decked to the nines, we 
might say. The one day he took that garb 
off was on the Day of Atonement, when all he was clothed in was 
linen when he went into the Holy of Holies. But as the normal 
course of events, the high priest was totally, totally clothed 
beautifully. That's what we would expect. 
Now, maybe after the exile, he wouldn't be as majestic, maybe 
after the exile, he wouldn't be as polished and as brilliant 
and as bright. But we would certainly expect 
something of majesty and of glory. But that's not what we see here. 
Notice in verse three, now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments 
and was standing before the angel. Now, filth here doesn't mean 
less than glorious. It doesn't mean a little bit 
less. It doesn't mean that having gone through the exile or captivity, 
the old garments were destroyed. So what they put in its place 
just aren't as good. The idea of the filthy garments 
here isn't just a little bit less than what it used to be. 
The word filth in this particular passage is used elsewhere in 
the Bible to refer to human feces. I know that may not impress you, 
but that's the reality of it. Deuteronomy 23, God tells that 
when they engage in eliminating refuse from their body, they're 
supposed to cover it because the Lord God walks among the 
camp of Israel. Filth is also used in conjunction 
and in Isaiah 28, verse eight with vomit. So when he sees Joshua, 
the high priest, and he's clothed with these filthy garments, it's 
not as if he just needs a visit to the tailor or to the to the 
launderer. It's not as if he just needs 
a new box of tide to send his garments through the washing 
machine. He is filthy with sin. He is polluted with evil. He 
is disgusting with transgression. He is vile with iniquity. The prophet Isaiah, when he's 
confessing the sins of his nation, says all of our righteousnesses 
are like filthy rags before your sight. That's the picture that 
we have here in this particular instance. It's almost the equivalent 
of you being accused of committing murder and you walk into the 
courtroom and there stands the judge or there sits the judge 
and there is your accuser. Only the accuser doesn't have 
to say anything because you're covered from head to toe with 
the blood of the victim. There's nobody here that's surprised. 
There's nobody here that's discounting the guilt in question. There's 
nobody here sort of jockeying to try and convince the judge 
that this man really is guilty of his crime. One commentator 
says at this point, when we see Joshua in his filthy garments, 
he says feelings of revulsion. That means we're disgusted by 
him. And that would have been the way Zechariah was. We can't 
even picture this. He's standing before a thrice 
holy God in all of the sin and all of the iniquity and all of 
the transgression, not only of himself, but of his people as 
well. He is a sight to behold. Please 
don't skip this. If you don't understand this 
reality, the rest of the vision isn't as glorious. The backdrop 
of human depravity magnifies the grace of God in the gospel 
of saving religion. If sin isn't as bad as the Bible 
says it is, then Christ isn't as good as the Bible says he 
is. It is only as we appreciate the 
great problem of sin do we appreciate the great Savior from sin, even 
our Lord Jesus. That famous Puritan, that famous 
man who wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, said that low views of the law 
will always produce low views of sin. And low views of sin 
will always produce low views of the Savior. He is guilty, 
he is vile, he is helpless before God. And McCombs says, feelings 
of revulsion turn to wonder now. Must not God turn his back on 
this repulsive sight and vent his anger at this affront to 
his holiness? It seems that the accuser is 
justified in calling for God's judgment on the sin this filth 
represents. It's a done deal, isn't it? If we were to finish at this 
point, we'd say the accuser was right. Joshua is a wretch. God to cast him and his nation 
off into hell forever and ever. Isn't that the implication? Please 
nod with me that you see that when a sinner stands before a 
thrice holy God, he has nothing to present. He has nothing to 
argue. Notice Joshua is conspicuously 
silent here. Satan is conspicuously silent. 
And that's because I believe the Lord takes the initiative 
in all this. But also, Satan doesn't need 
to say anything. All he would have to do is go 
like this. I don't need to argue about this. I don't need to present 
evidence. Again, you're convicted or accused 
of committing murder, and you're standing before the judge covered 
in the victim's blood. The accuser doesn't have to prove 
DNA, intent, position, all these things. He doesn't need corroborating 
evidence. All he has to do is look at the 
judge and you and say, guilty, right? Who takes initiative in 
this divine courtroom? But God most high, this is always 
the gospel. It's always God seeking sinners. It's always the language of Luke 
19, 10. For the Son of Man came to seek 
and to save that which was lost. Notice that when Jehovah answers, 
he doesn't put forth Joshua's innocence. When Jehovah answers, 
he doesn't put forth Joshua's decency. He sees him in his filth. He sees him in his guilt. He 
sees him in his sin. The Lord brings forth two reasons 
as to why he rebuked Satan. Notice in verse two, the Lord 
said to Satan, the Lord rebuked you, Satan. You say, well, Satan 
didn't even say anything. He didn't have to. It's his role, 
it's his function, it's how he lives. He is an accuser of the 
brethren. God knows what he's doing there. 
God knows why he's standing right next to Joshua. It's not to try 
and help Joshua. It's not to try to make things 
better for Joshua. It's to point the finger at Joshua. 
It's to indict Joshua. It's to reprove Joshua. And it's 
to show him and his people that they are gross sinners before 
our God. So what does God do? The Lord rebuke you. Why? Because of his sovereign election. You know, sometimes I've heard 
all that reform theology, that's great, but it really isn't practical. 
It really isn't practical. Sovereign grace isn't practical. The electing purposes of God 
are not practical. Notice when the Lord rebukes 
Satan, it's not because Joshua and the people chose him. When 
the Lord rebukes Satan, it's because God chose them. That's the thrust of verse two. The Lord rebuked you, Satan. 
The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuked you. Don't mess with 
my people. Don't accuse my people. Don't 
play the adversary with my people. Don't challenge my people. The idea here is the man whose 
son or daughter is being victimized and the father finds out about 
it and he gets the criminal. What does he do? Don't you ever 
mess with my kid again. You stay away from them. Oh, 
but he's guilty and simple. I know. And he's mine. Oh, but 
he's got all these garments on that are tattered with sin. I 
know, but he's mine. This is the God of sovereignty. 
The Lord rebukes Satan based on his sovereign choice of Jerusalem. The accuser has no right to expect 
God to destroy the nation on account of its sin. His accusation 
is futile because God has already revealed his will for the people 
by delivering them from the captivity. That's what verse two says. Is 
this not a brand plucked from the fire? If I was done with 
them, I would have left them in Babylon. If I was done with 
them, I would have allowed them to be consumed by Nebuchadnezzar. 
If I was done with them, they wouldn't be in this position 
right now. They wouldn't be back in Jerusalem. 
I wouldn't have moved the heart of Cyrus to write that decree, 
allowing them the freedom to leave Babylon and go back to 
Jerusalem. God says I have a plan for this 
people. I have a purpose for this people. 
I have a decree and the accusations of the devil cannot destroy the 
decree. That's why reform theology is 
important. Because in Reformed theology 
we highlight the decree of God Most High, that He works all 
things according to the counsel of His will, that He has foreordained 
whatsoever comes to pass, that He is effecting every event for 
his own glory and for the good of sinners. If God had wished 
to let them perish for their sin, the Lord would have left 
them in Babylon. But by snatching them from the 
flames of exile, what does he show? He reveals that his grace 
is greater than their guilt. It's not beautiful. The more I thought about this 
passage, this is such a beautiful and lively picture of God in 
the gospel. Why are we where we're at? It's 
not because we chose God, but because he chose us. Right? You're not here because you made 
a good decision one day and said, well, I've decided that I'm going 
to follow Jesus. If you have decided, it's because 
God decreed and God made you willing in the day of his power. So all glory for your decision 
is to be given to him, for it does not depend upon him who 
wills nor on him who runs, but on God who shows mercy. Notice the second reason why 
the Lord rebukes The devil, again, is not an assertion of Joshua's 
innocency or decency to try to redefine things. Well, you know 
what? He's really not simple. He's not really filthy. He's 
just got a little bit of a little bit of a problem here. He does 
just need a launderer. He does just need a little bit 
of attention to his garment. That's not why. It's his justifying 
grace. It is what God in the gospel 
does notice in verse four. Then he answered and spoke to 
those who stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments 
from him. And to him, he said, See, I have 
removed your iniquity from you and I will clothe you with rich 
robes. The filth is because of iniquity. The filth is his sin. The filth 
is his evil. The filth is his undone mess 
before God. Verse four is been accurately 
captured in the Westminster Shorter Catechism number thirty three 
in terms of a theological definition. It embodies the reality of verse 
four. The divines at Westminster asked 
the question, what is justification? And they said justification is 
an act of God's free grace where in he pardons all our sins, not 
some of them. Notice he doesn't leave a little 
bit of the garment on. For a moment there, Joshua is 
naked. He takes off the filthy and puts it away and puts on 
the festal robes. Wherein He pardons all our sins, 
every single one. Do you know what that means? 
That means that right now, if you are not a believer on the 
Lord Jesus and you cast a look in faith, He forgives you every 
sin. He forgives you every sin. Oh, 
how could that be? Because that's how God operates. He doesn't play games. He doesn't 
say, I'll deal with some. You deal with some. I'll deal 
with more. You deal with more. Take those filthy garments off 
and throw them away. Get them out of here. They stink. 
They're wretched. They're disgusting. I got to 
have them out of here. And it's God's work. Wherein, God pardons 
all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight. So what 
he's doing here? See, I have removed your iniquity 
from you and I will clothe you with rich robes. What can a man 
clothed with rich robes do but enter into the presence of the 
king? He accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness 
of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. The Westminster 
Divines are accurately theologically depicting the reality of Zechariah 
three, four. Now, I'm sure they had other 
doctrine, other texts, other passages in mind, but this is 
a vivid picture of God in the gospel. The reality is, is that 
we are all clothed in filthy garments because of our attachment 
to Adam or our station or position in Adam. We all have filthy garments. And the only way to get rid of 
those filthy garments is not by us cleaning that centers try 
to do. They try to clean themselves 
up. They try to reform. They try to put things on to 
sort of block out the filth of their own garments. Well, I know 
I'll get a coat or I'll put on a hat. I'll try to hide myself. I'll try to put on some good 
works. I'll try to get rid of all of the stains of these garments. That's not how it works. Any 
more than Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Lord with 
Satan accusing him, could have said, Lord, I'll leave and I'll 
go fix things up. No, we can't fix things up. God fixes things up. God initiates. God orders to take the filthy 
garments off and to put on the clean garments. This is such 
a picture of salvation. When you believe the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, when you believe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, you will have the forgiveness of sins. You will receive a righteousness 
not your own, which is from the law, but a righteousness which 
is from God through faith in Jesus Christ. McCombski said 
the removal of the filthy garments silenced the accuser. Isn't that 
beautiful? He's got nothing to say. What's he going to say at this 
point? What can the devil do at this 
point? Imagine if in that courtroom, 
the guy covered in blood walks in, says, I'm guilty. The judge 
says, well, I'm going to take your place. I am going to take 
the punishment. That's what God is doing in the 
gospel with his son. McConsky said the removal of 
the filthy garments silenced the accuser, making his charge 
baseless because the Supreme Judge has done the unthinkable. He has removed the guilt of the 
people by a sovereign act of grace. It's not by words. The message to you today, if 
you're not in a right relationship with God, isn't go out and fix 
your clothes. Go out and clean up? Go out and 
make yourself better? Go out and make yourself presentable? Go out and get some religion? The message is foul. I, too, the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die. The message is nothing in my 
hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. That's the essence of the Christian 
message. We have a nation filled with 
doers of good works, thinking they will appease God. We can't. As Christians, do you realize 
God has no need for our good works? Our neighbors do. Even 
as Christians, our good works aren't as if like God saying, 
wow, that's great. He prepared them beforehand that 
we should walk in them so that we'll be a blessing to others. 
I actually think in the prophet Isaiah in chapter sixty four, 
when he said all of our righteousness is like filthy rice, he's not 
talking about the wicked. He's talking about the good things 
they do. Those are like filthy rags when it comes to justification 
before a holy God. The essence of the gospel, whether 
you're old or you're young, is to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you will be saved. You will have the rip of the 
dirty clothes taken off and the new festal robes put on. Now, notice the high priest clean 
garments, verses five to seven. First time Zechariah speaks up, 
he says, verse five, let them put a clean turban on his head. 
So they put a clean turban on his head and they put the clothes 
on him and the angel of the Lord stood by. See what Zechariah 
is doing. He's rejoicing in this restoration. He's rejoicing in the blessing 
of God. He's rejoicing in the forgiveness 
of sins. God, I've seen you take the filthy 
garments off to put the righteous garments on. Now put the turban 
on his head. This completes the package. Because 
the turban goes on and then the crown of glory goes on. And then 
he is fit before the Lord God Most High to serve the way God 
called him to. Notice the theological progression 
here. It is justification and then 
sanctification. It is justification freely by 
the grace of God. And then it's a call to righteous 
living. Notice in verse six, then the 
angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, Thus says the 
Lord of hosts, if you will walk in my ways and if you will keep 
my command, then you shall also judge my house and likewise have 
charge of my courts. I will give you places to walk 
among these who stand here. This is God's means. He justifies by His grace and 
then He sanctifies by His grace. He calls us to walk. He calls 
us to obey. Not in order to be saved, but 
because we have been saved. They were to conduct themselves 
in a manner they were called to. This all goes back to Exodus 
19, 5 and 6. God called Israel for a specific 
reason. They were supposed to be a kingdom 
of priests to mediate God's blessings to the earth. They failed after 
the exile. When God forgives them, he calls 
them to this task again. They just tell you a secret. 
They fail again. It's not until Jesus comes. It's 
not until Jesus affects the new covenant. It is at that point 
that the fullness of this blessing is realized that Exodus 19, five 
and six is realized in the church. We are a royal priesthood. We 
are a chosen people. We are those whom God has called 
to himself to be a priestly kingdom of worshipers. But in this context, 
brethren, it was designed to encourage the people that after 
they had come out of the exile to build the temple, to do the 
work, to obey your father, to glorify his name, to be to be 
careful in your walk before him. Similar to what we find in Micah 
six, eight. He is showing you old man. Oh, man. It's always 
made it known what his will for you is in terms of sanctification. 
If you will walk in my ways, if you will keep my command, 
you will also judge my house and likewise have charge of my 
courts. I will give you places to walk among those who stand 
here. And then he moves on finally 
to the significance of this change of garments versus eight to ten. 
Notice verse eight hero, Joshua, the high priest, you and your 
companions who sit before you. I think these are probably fellow 
priests. Joshua is the high priest. Then there would be a body of 
other priests within the vision itself. Probably they are the 
other priests representing, again, the entirety of the covenant 
community, the people of God. And this is for a sign. Notice verse eight, for they 
are a wondrous sign. For behold, I am bringing forth 
my servant, the branch. Here's the rub. All of these 
blessings, all of these promises. All of these good gifts promised 
by God are attached to the coming of this servant. They're attached 
to the coming of this one called Branch. Interesting two phrases 
concerning our Lord Jesus. This is obviously a reference 
to Jesus. Some commentators take it as 
a reference to Zerubbabel with reference to the branch, but 
it simply doesn't fit the facts. Other prophets described the 
servant. Jesus Christ and the prophet 
Isaiah is the servant of the Lord who redeems his people. 
He is the servant of the Lord who redeems them through his 
own suffering. He is the servant of the Lord 
who redeems them in spite of his own humiliation. He is the 
servant of the Lord who does this or redeems them in spite 
of his own humility. Christ is God's servant of the 
new covenant to save his people from their sins. And then the 
prophets pick up this language of the branch as well. In Isaiah, 
the branch is associated with the Davidic king who had come 
to rule. Jeremiah in chapter 23 speaks of the branch being 
the Lord, our righteousness. Zechariah tells us about the 
branch later in chapter six in verse 12. Then speak to him saying, 
thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, the man whose name is 
the branch, from his place he shall branch out, and he shall 
build the temple of the Lord. Yes, he shall build the temple 
of the Lord. He shall bear the glory and shall 
sit and rule on his throne. So he shall be a priest on his 
throne, and the council of peace shall be between them both. In 
Christ we have the combined offices of prophet, priest, and king 
united in one glorious person. You see what the prophet is saying 
here, we move from this heavenly court where God in this divine 
transaction removes the filthy garments, puts on clean garments, 
fits the people of God for service, says this is uniquely connected 
ultimately to Jesus and it would be fulfilled preeminently in 
Jesus. This is a very Christ centered 
book. It's a very Christ centered prophecy. The servant, the branch, the 
one who would affect the salvation of our God. He speaks of a stone 
here, kind of interesting language in verse nine for behold, the 
stone that I have laid before Joshua upon the stone or seven 
eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription, 
says the Lord of hosts. I think the idea is that the 
stone represents the foundation of the temple, which in the book 
of Ephesians, we learned that Jesus is the chief cornerstone. 
Again, I believe another allusion to our Lord Jesus. He is the 
servant of the Lord. He is the branch of the Lord. 
He is the stone upon whom unbelieving Israel would fall. Brethren, 
this is all about Christ, so the forgiveness of sins, the 
salvation from iniquity, all of that is connected uniquely 
to Jesus. Notice at the end of verse nine, 
and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. I will 
remove the iniquity of that land in one day. Can we pinpoint that 
day? Well, from this text, I don't 
think so. But in Zechariah 13, looking 
forward, he says, behold, in that day there will be a fountain 
open for sin and uncleanness. I believe the reference ultimately 
is to the death. of our Lord Jesus. When He would 
die, when He would rise again, it is through that event, through 
that redemption, through that work, God would remove iniquity 
from His people. And verse 10 is a prophetic means, 
a prophetic statement concerning peace and security that the people 
of God would enjoy. In that day, says the Lord of 
hosts, everyone will invite his neighbor under a vine and under 
his fig tree. This was stated under the reign 
of Solomon. Remember Solomon. The name means 
peace. God forbade David to build the temple because David was 
a man of war. David was a man of bloodshed. 
He said it would be your son that would build the temple. 
In the son's reign, the son of peace, at that time there was 
such extensive blessing in the Solomonic Kingdom that people 
would invite their neighbor under his vine, under his fig tree. 
It goes back to Leviticus 26. I will give you peace in the 
land and you shall lie down and none shall make you afraid. Micah 
four says, but everyone shall sit under his vine in this fig 
tree and no one shall make them afraid. You translate that in 
a new covenant reality. We think about that great disaster 
that just happened in Haiti. What a tragedy and what a travesty 
this is. But the people of God, brethren, 
in that scenario can still have peace and security. So this is 
what the Christian has that the world doesn't. No matter how 
bad things get. No matter how many challenges 
there are, no matter how many difficulties we face, because 
our Lord promised it. He said in this world you will 
have tribulation. They also said, be of good cheer, 
I've overcome the world. So that in the midst of trial, 
in the midst of suffering, in the midst of difficulty, in the 
midst of great suffering, the people of God can invite one 
another to sit under their vine, to sit under their fig tree, 
to enjoy peace, to enjoy security. Because we look to a better, 
that is in heavenly country. Wherein there is righteousness, 
wherein there is peace, wherein there is Emmanuel, who is the 
glory of that land. You see people who have been 
cleansed from their sins. There's nothing that can shake 
them. Oh, yeah, we can falter. We can founder. We got our issues. We got our challenges. We got 
our troubles. We got our trials to be sure. But when all push 
comes to shove, we look back to our Lord Jesus. We look back 
to that one who is reigning and ruling that servant of the Lord, 
who is the branch of God, who is building his temple, who has 
put us together as living stones, who has called us to praise him, 
who has called us to worship him, who has called us to glorify 
and honor him. Brethren, this is the reality 
of New Covenant blessing. In that day, says Jehovah, everyone 
will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree. Doesn't mean the absence of all 
problems. Doesn't mean the absence of all suffering. It means peace 
in the midst of it. This is why Jesus says peace. 
I leave you my peace. I give you not as the world gives. Do I give? The world offers a 
form of peace. It may be in a bottle, it may 
be in sex, it may be in power, it may be in prestige. But that 
peace is fleeting. That peace is passing. That peace 
is not everlasting. It is only the peace that we 
have in Jesus Christ that will see you through the difficulties 
of life and land you safely in Emmanuel's land. That is the 
piece that the prophets saw display in Zechariah, chapter three, 
verse four. That is the piece that is intimately 
and uniquely connected to the doing and dying of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. You are if you are here this 
morning and you don't know Christ, you're filthy. You know what? That's not some preacher saying, 
oh, you wretched, horrible people. We're all filthy. There ain't 
a one of us in this room who is going to heaven, it's because 
of what they did. There is nobody will stand before 
the bar of God here. Well done, good and faithful 
servant, because you are one up. You are a little bit better. 
You are a little bit smarter, a little bit wiser, yet a little 
bit more money and a little bit more discipline. There's not 
a one of us who will stand before God and have a reason to boast, 
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what this 
passage points us to. That's what this passage ought 
to excite us about. That's what this passage ought 
to do in our hearts is to point us afresh to the doing and dying 
of our Lord. To Jesus Christ, to that servant, 
to that branch, to that mediator of a better covenant. Verse four, 
then he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, 
Take away the filthy garments from him. And to him, he said, 
See, I removed your iniquity from you and I will clothe you 
with rich robes. What do you think Joshua's response 
would have been? Wow. Whoa. Isn't that it? He comes there filthy and he 
leaves cleansed. And it wasn't because he did something good. What should be our response to 
the gospel of Jesus Christ? Wow. Wow. It ought to take our breath away 
every time we think about it. It ought to take our breath away 
every time we consider the filth that was ours. And you think 
about Israel before they went into the captivity. What did 
they do? Let's just suppose for a minute Joshua out of the group 
was a was a pretty good guy. Well, before God, he was a wretch 
and filthy, but let's just suppose out of the rank and file of the 
Israelites, he was a pretty decent guy. What did Israel do as a 
whole to get into captivity? Read the Old Testament and find 
out. At one point, God, through the prophet Jeremiah, says, has 
a nation nation changed its gods? Have the Baal worshipers changed 
their gods? Have they gone on to something 
better? Have the Moloch worshippers gone on to something else? These 
are God's saying. Has the nation surrounding Israel 
exchanged their gods? No, they're faithful. It's always been a reproof to 
me how much more faithful pagans are at times to their cause than 
we are to our cause. This is God's indictment. Has 
the nations changed their gods? No, but my people have exchanged 
glory for that which is not God. Think, how could they do that? 
He gives that illustration in Jeremiah, too. Can a bride forget 
her ornaments? At a wedding, does a bride show 
up in filthy jeans and a T-shirt and a chewing gum? Let's do this. Got somewhere to be. Gotta go. Let's move it on, preacher. Gotta 
get out of here. Does a bride forget her ornaments? No! In fact, most brides need 
a good dose of exhortation to try and forget a little bit about 
those ornaments and get on with the thought of being married. 
It's not the wedding day, it's the marriage that you really 
got to work on. But this is God's illustration with Jeremiah. Can 
a bride forget her ornaments? No, it's a no-brainer. Of course 
she's not going to forget it. You don't have to put that in 
the order of a service for a wedding. Make sure the bride has her ornaments. 
Make sure the bride is dressed to the nines. Make sure she's 
got everything. That's no part of it. She got a whole room full 
of attendants that are going to make sure she does that. And 
yet my people have forgotten me, God says. Then you turn over 
to Jeremiah 19, you see how that flushes itself out. Remember, 
this is the filthy garments that they were wearing. I think sometimes 
we think, well, my sin's different. God can't forgive mine. You know 
what they do in Jeremiah 19? You want to see how theology 
matters? You want to see how refusing the God of truth matters? When they exchanged their God 
for Baal, they followed Baalism to its natural conclusion. They 
took their children and they cast them into the fires to sacrifice 
them. Never let anybody tell you the 
sin that you see out there has nothing to do with God. It has 
everything to do with God. When a man, a woman, a boy or 
a girl refuses the true and living God and exchanges the glorious 
creator and worships the creature, all manner of wickedness follows. That is precisely what they did. 
Moloch was an interesting idol. He was fashioned with his arms 
out. They would put him in a place 
and they would light fire around him. They would take their babies 
and they'd throw them into the arms of Moloch. I'm not the best catch, but I 
have enough mobility to try and squeeze a baby. A Moloch can't 
do that. So when the baby hit the arms 
of the idol, plop right into the fire. That's the filthy garments Joshua 
was wearing. That's how Joshua looked before 
God. The accuser doesn't say anything. 
He doesn't have to. God says, take the filthy garments 
off, put the clean garments on, because I've set my love upon 
him. If your version of the gospel 
is different than that, you need to repent. Believe the truth. God forgives sin. God forgives 
evil. God forgives wickedness. What 
does John tell us in 1 John 2, 1? My little children, I write 
to you so that you may not sin. That's why John wrote 1 John. He wants you to be holy. He doesn't 
want you to sin. He wants you to be godly. But 
John's a realist. John knows his Bible. John knows 
his heart. John knows depravity. John knows 
remaining corruption. He says, but if anyone does sin, 
we have an advocate with the father, even Jesus Christ, the 
righteous. You see, he's our advocate. Notice 
the angel of the Lord and the Lord are used synonymously in 
this passage. I believe we have God the Father 
and God the Son and Zechariah 3 working to save their people 
from us. Brethren, the assault of the 
adversary will come. As McShane said, Satan resists 
every conversion. If you followed any of this, 
you might be thinking, wow, I'm a sinner. I need to go to God. 
The adversary is going to come along and say, no, you don't. 
Don't do that. You'll be like one of those weirdos. 
You'll be like one of those nuts. You'll be like one of those guys. 
The adversary is going to come and whisper in your ear, not 
that bad. You never threw a baby into the 
fire. You never did anything gross like that. You never did 
anything like exchanging the glory of God for the creature. 
Yeah, you have. If not in that manifestation, 
you have done enough sin to merit an eternity of hell. Not a popular 
message today, I concede that, but it is the truth of Holy Scripture. 
God is angry with the wicked every day. The adversary is going 
to come and whisper to you, don't go to Christ. The adversary is 
going to stand and whisper to God, don't take this guy. You 
know what he did? You know what she's done? You 
know how they performed? God says come and I will take 
your filthy garment and I will put on a clean garment. Pastor 
Kim read that at the outset of worship. He must have known Zechariah 
3 was on the docket for this morning because Isaiah 61 says 
precisely what we find in this particular passage. In the prophet's 
words, I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah. My soul shall be 
joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments 
of salvation. He has covered me with the robe 
of righteousness as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments 
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth 
brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that 
are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness 
and praise to spring forth before all the nations. And, you know, 
it's not just the unbeliever that the devil is going to seek 
to attack. It's the Christian, too, isn't 
it? My little children, I write these things to you so that you 
may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have 
an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ, the righteous. 
Notice he doesn't define sin there. He says sin. We know from 
the scriptures that sin is any want of conformity unto. That 
means not doing God's law or transgression of the law. That 
means doing what God forbids. John says, if we sin, we have 
an advocate. I think Paul picks up this whole 
idea of an adversary or an accuser in Romans chapter eight, when 
he says, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for 
us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own 
son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall we not with 
him also freely give us all things who shall bring a charge to God's 
elect? Is there an adversary? It might 
be the devil, might be the world. Lo and behold, it might be you. 
Sometimes we talk to ourselves and we say, oh, you're so bad. 
You're so wicked. You're so horrible. God can never forgive you. I 
haven't read about that in a book. I know that from experience. The devil's right there. How 
could he ever love you? Why would he ever love you? Why 
would he ever want you? What are you? What have you done? 
What are you about? This is what Paul says, who shall 
bring a charge against God's elect. It is God who justifies. Right. So you. If it's about you justifying 
yourself, you're in big trouble. But since it's God who's justifying 
you, you've got freedom, you've got blessing. He says, who is 
he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore 
is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also 
makes intercession for us. Brethren, go to Christ. That's 
the message. When we sin, that's the message. When we falter, that's the message. 
When we found her, it is to look afresh and to Christ never changes. If you don't know Jesus today, 
look to Christ and you'll be saved. If you know Jesus today, 
look to Christ and you'll be happy. Look to Christ that great that 
Zechariah on February 15, 516 B.C. saw the gospel. Is it that good? You might have 
came here this morning, or was that right? Three? Well, that's 
weird. You know what? It's as clear a picture of the 
gospel as you'll find in anywhere else in the scripture. It's what 
God does, takes off the filthy, puts on the righteous, takes 
off the wicked, puts on the good. Pardons, cleanses, imputes righteousness, 
not based on what we do, but based on what Jesus has done. 
The servant of the Lord, the branch of the Lord. You look 
to him and you will have everlasting life. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for the unity of 
Scripture. We thank you for the things prophesied in Zechariah 
and fulfilled in the New Testament with the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. How we praise you, God, for that 
peace which surpasses all understanding and how we pray that today your 
word would be proclaimed throughout the earth and that a great multitude 
would look to Jesus Christ and know the forgiveness of sins. 
would know what it is to have that filthy garment removed and 
that that festal robe put on. And God, I pray that you would 
just encourage all of your people here. Help us never to take our 
eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to always remember John's 
words that we have an advocate with the father, even Jesus Christ, 
the righteous. And we pray in his most blessed 
name. Amen.