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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Zechariah chapter 3. Zechariah chapter 3, I hope, 
a familiar passage of scripture to all of us. It's a passage 
we have looked at in the past. I thought it would be fitting 
for our time tonight before the Lord's Supper. I made reference 
to the doctrine of justification by faith alone this morning, 
and this is a wonderful display, a wonderful illustration, a wonderful 
picture of that doctrine of justification by faith alone. I'll read chapter 
3 in the prophet Zechariah verses 1 to 10. 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 bran plucked from 
the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy 
garments and was standing before the angel. But 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. And 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, O 
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 are 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 
blessed God and our Holy Father, we thank you for the scripture. 
We thank you for the prophetic word We thank you for what this 
points forward to in the new covenant. We thank you for our 
Lord Jesus Christ and the justification we have as a result of his life 
and his death and his resurrection. We praise you for our beloved 
Savior. We praise you for our beloved 
King and Lord, that one who is a friend to sinners. We thank 
you, God, for your wonderful grace and for your wonderful 
mercy. And we pray now that your Holy Spirit would guide us as 
we look to this portion of scripture We pray that he would teach us 
and lead us and that we would worship you as a result of the 
good things herein. As well, we pray that you would 
forgive us for all of our sins, that you would wash us in the 
blood of the Lord Jesus. Help us never to forget that 
it's through that blood we have redemption. And we praise you 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The prophet Zechariah is 
one of the post-exilic prophets. That means after the exile in 
Babylon, there were several, or a few rather, prophets that 
spoke to the children of Israel. I'm just going to read a brief 
history or a brief statement concerning the location of Zechariah 
in the biblical record. I hope that this will be of help 
to set it in its context. After the exile, the first return 
of the exiles from Babylon occurred in 538 B.C. and then in 536 B.C. As the people returned to the 
land, they immediately began to restore their center of worship. According to Ezra chapter 3 verses 
1 to 3, they built an altar there. And then in Ezra 3 at 8 to 13, 
they began the temple. Remember that in the siege upon 
Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the temple was destroyed. the 
city was sacked and the persons then went into the Babylonian 
captivity. So after that 70 year period 
they returned to the land and as I said they began the temple. 
They halted temple construction for about 16 years. They were 
opposed by persons in the land. Then Haggai and Zechariah preached 
in 520 BC and the temple construction started again. It only took about 
four years to complete the temple in 516 BC. Ezra 6, 14 and 15 
indicate this. Ezra and Nehemiah go with these 
post-exilic prophets. The second return of the exiles 
took place under Ezra and then Nehemiah. Zechariah is mentioned 
in Ezra and in Nehemiah in connection with Haggai the prophet. Zechariah 
was both a prophet and a priest and he was probably born during 
the Babylonian exile. Now in this particular section 
of his prophecy, chapters 1 to 6, He receives eight visions, 
and no doubt these took place on one night. And if the commentators 
be trusted, that night was February 15th in 519 B.C. Now the February, obviously, 
their month corresponding to our February. Three and one-half 
months after his initial message, two months after Haggai's final 
message, and five months after the building of the temple commenced. 
So you see that Haggai and Zechariah preached to the people while 
they were building the temple as a means of encouragement, 
as a means of giving promise, as a means of telling them the 
good things that God would do. And here in chapter 3, it looks 
forward as well to the new covenant and what would be wrought under 
our Lord Jesus Christ. So this particular vision, this 
fourth vision, concerns cleansing from sin, and as a result, it 
would encourage the people to continue building the temple, 
as that was the location for the sacrificial system that spoke 
to the cleansing of sin for the nation of Israel. So that's the 
location of the prophet Zechariah in the history of biblical revelation. Let's look at chapter 3, verses 
1 to 10, under three considerations. First, the cleansing of Joshua. 
Secondly, the charge given to Joshua. And thirdly, the promise 
concerning the branch. We see this figure called the 
branch in verse 8b. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. 
So certainly this prophecy not only encourages the people at 
the time in their building of the temple, but it looks forward 
to what God will do in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Note in 
the first place, with reference to the cleansing of Joshua, we 
have several considerations here. Note, first of all, there is 
a legal controversy. Verses 1 and 2, 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? So there are several parties 
involved in this legal controversy. In the first place, we have Joshua, 
the high priest. This isn't Joshua, the son of 
Nun that led the conquest. That was many, many years prior. 
This is Joshua, the high priest. And in the absence of a king 
in Israel, the high priest took even more responsibility and 
was more of a figure of great notoriety. But in this particular 
instance, Joshua stands for the people. Priests were public representatives. Priests were men who stood for 
the entirety of the nation, and this is borne out by several 
considerations. In the book of Leviticus, in 
chapter 16 on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest confesses the 
sins of Israel. He is a public representative 
of the nation. Here in verse 2, the reference 
to Jerusalem as being chosen, not just Joshua. As well, the 
grand plot from the fire in verse 2 is Jerusalem's restoration 
after the exile, not simply Joshua the High Priest. And as well, 
there is a reference in verse 9 to the removal of the iniquity 
from that land. So we need to appreciate that 
Joshua stands for the people, the nation of Israel, the post-exile, 
the return east to their particular land. Then we have the introduction 
of this angel of the Lord, most likely the pre-incarnate Christ. He is there as an advocate. He 
is there as an intercessor. He is there to represent his 
client in this legal controversy. It's almost as if what we have 
before us is a divine courtroom. And then in the third place we 
have Satan. We see that Satan is standing 
at his right hand to oppose him. This is the adversary of our 
souls. In the book of Job, we see this 
particular function of Satan. He is an accuser of Job. In the 
book of Revelation, we find that Satan is an accuser of the brethren. John Gill describes his business 
this way, the business of Satan here was to accuse, to bring 
charges, to plead for condemnation, and endeavor to get the sentence 
of it passed against Joshua, for he was at his right hand, 
to be an adversary to him, as his name Satan signifies, being 
an enemy to mankind in general, and especially to the people 
of God, and more especially to persons in sacred public offices. So you see the scene. We've got 
Joshua, the high priest, representative of the nation of Israel. We've 
got the presence of the angel of Yahweh, and then we have Satan 
there as the accuser, as the opposer. Notice that then the 
Lord God Most High speaks in verse 2. 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? Isn't it intriguing that Satan 
doesn't ever open his mouth? Isn't it intriguing that Joshua 
the High Priest never opens his mouth? The Lord God doesn't need 
to listen to a lot of goings-on to establish the guilt of a particular 
party. As we'll see in verse 3, Joshua 
is standing there filthy. Joshua is standing there in a 
vile situation. Joshua is standing there before 
the Lord Most High clothed basically in dung and vomit. And essentially 
what we find is the Lord rebuking Satan. He can't even open his 
mouth to bring accusation against Joshua and our God already is 
shutting him down. The Lord knows the particulars. 
The Lord knows the ins and the outs. It's not as if Satan can 
bring new information to the Lord and suggest that somehow 
the Lord ought to punish these people. The Lord knows what he's 
doing with his people. The Lord justifies his people. 
The Lord sanctifies his people. The Lord will ultimately glorify 
his people so that when the accuser of the brethren seeks to disrupt 
The Lord God shuts him down. He doesn't give him any opportunity 
whatsoever to speak concerning this situation. And notice the 
Lord's reasonings as to why he silences Satan. It's not because 
Joshua is a wonderful guy. Not because he's a swell guy. 
Not because he is a clean man. Not because the nation is good 
and upright. That is not the reason by which 
God the Lord shuts down Satan. There are two reasons that God 
the Lord uses to shut down Satan. And the first is sovereign grace. 
It is sovereign election. It is predestination. The devil 
can't open his yap, but rather the Lord God says, the Lord who 
has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked 
from the fire? It is sovereign election that 
shuts the mouth of the devil. It is sovereign grace and predestination 
that shuts the mouth of the devil. When you are in the depths of 
sorrow, when you are battling with the devil, do not proffer 
your good deeds, do not put forward your law keeping, but rather 
plead the covenant promises of God Most High. Rather go to Ephesians 
1.4. just as He chose us in Him before 
the foundation of the world, in love, having predestinated 
us onto adoption as sons by Jesus Christ. It's not our goodness, 
it's not our polish, it's not our luster, but rather it is 
God's sovereign grace that is in the forefront in this particular 
position. This is what successfully shuts 
the mouth of the adversary. This is what successfully closes 
that yap. This is what successfully keeps 
him at bay and keeps him from destroying us. Brethren, we will 
have this accuser of the brethren seek to disrupt. We will have 
this one seeking to whisper. I don't know how it all works. 
But there are these suggestions that enter into the minds of 
God's people. There are these temptations and tendencies and 
whatnot. And we must accredit some of 
this to the devil. It isn't our goodness, it is 
God's sovereignty that ultimately shuts the mouth of the devil. 
And the proof positive is this reality. Is this not a brand 
plucked from the fire? God the Lord understood the sin 
of the people of Israel. He could have most certainly 
left them in Babylon. He could have most certainly 
left them to the judgment of the nations. But it was 70 years, 
that 70 years was fulfilled, so God plucks them out of the 
fire, He brings them back to Judah, He puts them back in their 
land, and He does indeed promise all that He had given to them 
by way of the prophets before that. It's truly a glorious statement 
when we are in that position or when we are in that place. 
But it's not only his sovereign election, but it's also his justifying 
grace. It is his justifying grace. The 
Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem 
rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from 
the fire? So sovereign election, but notice 
his justifying grace. Verse three, now Joshua was clothed 
with filthy garments and was standing before the angel. This 
is an intriguing passage. Because what we expect from the 
high priest is all that we read of in Exodus 28. If you ever 
read Exodus 28, you'll notice that the priest there has garments 
that are quite beautiful and majestic and glorious. They are 
meant to reflect the glory of the living and true God. The 
idea being that God's agents on earth, who represent him in 
the temple, are going to be decked out. They're going to have all 
of that holy gear. They are going to have all those 
holy accouterments. They are going to be dressed 
in a beautiful manner. That's what we expect to see 
at the introduction of Joshua the high priest. But that's not 
what we see. Notice what we do see, verse 
3. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy 
garments. You see, it's not the case that 
the Lord rebuked Satan because Joshua is a man of splendor. It's not that the Lord rebuked 
Satan because Joshua is clothed in accordance with Exodus 28. 
No, it's just the converse. What we find is that Joshua is 
filthy. And it's important for us to 
understand the particular word that is used here. The reference 
to filth does not mean less than glorious. It does not mean unkempt 
or disheveled in appearance. Joshua didn't spill a little 
cream cheese on his way to appear before the Lord in this heavenly 
court. That is not what's going on in 
terms of filth. The root connotes more than merely 
soil, for its related nouns refer to human feces in Deuteronomy 
23 and in Ezekiel 4. The root is also used in conjunction 
with vomit in Isaiah 28a. As Feinberg says, the strongest 
expression in the Hebrew language for filth of the most vile and 
loathsome characters. So you see the scene. We've got 
Joshua in all of his filth and all of his disgustingness. We've 
got the angel of Yahweh and we've got the devil who wants to bring 
charge against him. The Lord already knows the score. The Lord already understands 
Joshua's condition. The Lord doesn't need Satan to 
present evidence in terms of Joshua's guiltiness or of the 
nation's guiltiness. What we find is Israel represented 
by Joshua in this state of filth and wretchedness and wickedness. Thomas McCombsky says, feelings 
of revulsion turn to wonder. 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. You see, in terms of the reality 
of the situation, the devil's accusation would be legitimate. 
It's not as if God doesn't know this, but God rather shuts him 
down because of sovereign election, he chose Jerusalem, and because 
of his justifying grace. And that is displayed in the 
following section. So Joshua is filthy, he's standing 
before the Lord, and now notice what we find in verse 4. Then 
he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, 
take away the filthy garments from him." If I was a black preacher 
in a black church, I would say at this point, can I get an amen? 
Because that's glorious. What does that typify? What does 
that illustrate? What does that demonstrate but 
the removal of our transgression? God sees Joshua and Israel filthy, 
undone, vomit, feces, covered. And the Lord God says, remove 
the filthy garments from them. Isn't that our experience at 
the cross? We come to the Savior filthy? 
We come to the Savior filled with all manner of wickedness 
and lawlessness? And what do we find at the cross? Do we find God saying, well, 
you know, you're not as bad as the rest. I think I'm going to 
let you in. No. God says take the filthy 
garments off of him. Get rid of the sin, expunge the 
guilt. This is what the blood of Jesus 
is all about. This is why Paul says in Ephesians 
1.7, In whom we have redemption through his blood. This is why 
we read several times in scripture, the blood of Jesus Christ his 
son cleanses us from all sin. Later in this prophecy in Zechariah 
13.1, In that day there will be a fountain open for, for what? For sin and uncleanness. This 
is justification. This is God's grace. This is 
pardon for our iniquity. This is the first half of Westminster 
Shorter Catechism number 33. What is justification? Justification 
is an act of God's free grace wherein He pardons all our transgressions. That is amen-worthy stuff. As we suck tonight, as we eat 
the bread, and as we drink the cup, realize that that shed blood 
is what washes you from your sins. That shed blood is what 
secures your entrance into heaven. That life and that death and 
that resurrection of our beloved Christ is what secures salvation. It is the reason by which Paul 
can say, just as he has blessed us, with every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places in Christ. As we look at this filthy, vomit, 
feces-covered man representing a vomit, feces-covered nation, 
and we hear the Lord Yahweh say, take the filthy garments from 
him, I hope it resonates in our hearts to see ourselves in this 
passage and praise God most high. But notice, it doesn't stop there. We have the pardon of sin, but 
we also have the latter half of Westminster Shorter Catechism, 
number 33. In the act of God's free grace, 
wherein He pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in 
His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received 
by faith alone. Notice in verse 4. 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." I will clothe you with rich robes. There's our righteousness. There's the result of the work 
of Jesus Christ. You see, we need Him in His death. 
We need His passive obedience. We need our guilt expunged through 
the blood of Jesus. But we need a righteousness that 
avails with God. We need to be clothed with a 
righteousness wherein we can stand in that marriage supper 
of the Lamb. And that is secured for us by 
our Lord. It is an act of God's free grace 
Justification is holy and alone of our Lord. He not only takes 
away the filthy garments, but He also clothes us with rich 
robes. I love what Luther says concerning 
this divine transaction. He says, the rich, noble, pious 
bridegroom Christ takes this poor, despised, wicked little 
whore in marriage, redeems her of all evil, and adorns her with 
all his goods." Praise God that that is the case. And that didn't 
just come from the reformer Martin Luther, but it comes from the 
pen of the prophet Zechariah on that grand date in February 
519, when he had this fourth vision at night This is what 
he wrote concerning, and in this I hope we are encouraged. And 
then Zechariah speaks up according to verse 5, 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. Before we move on with reference 
to the charge given to Joshua, let us consider this fact often. Not just when we come here once 
a Sunday for the supper, but may this be our constancy each 
and every day. The sovereign grace of God, the 
justifying grace of God. Look at Romans chapter 8 for 
just a moment and see how the apostle combats the accuser. Romans chapter 8, verse 31. 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 he not with 
him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against 
God's elect? The very introduction of the 
question seems to assume its potential. Does it not? You ever had this in your own 
life? You ever had that when you've considered yourself? How 
in the world could I be a Christian? Look at the way that I am. You 
look in the mirror and you see yourself filthy, or you look 
at your actions and you see yourself filthy, or you look at Exodus 
20 or Deuteronomy 5 and you see yourself filthy. Who can bring 
a charge against God's elect if it is the devil accusing, 
whispering in your ear? who shall bring a charge against 
God's elect." Now notice Paul's arsenal. It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is 
Christ who died and furthermore has also risen, who is even at 
the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Paul's 
point is simply this. When persons level accusation, 
the effective response by the saint of Christ is not the saint 
of Christ's saintliness. The effective response from the 
saint of Christ is that it's Christ who lived, it is Christ 
who died, it is Christ who has risen, it is Christ who is our 
all in all. You see, brethren, that must 
be wherein we launch our counter-assault, when the devil suggests or when 
our own heart originates these things. We need to realize that 
our strength, our comfort, our stability, our peace, and our 
security do not lie in our performance. They do not lie in our ability. They do not lie in the things 
that we have accomplished. Rather, they rely upon or they 
lie in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And sovereign 
election, sovereign grace, predestination. I like what Calvin says concerning 
this. He says, let us then learn to 
rely on the gratuitous adoption of God if we would boldly exalt 
against Satan and all his assaults. He says it hence follows that 
those men who at this day obscure and seek as far as they can to 
extinguish the doctrine of election are enemies to the human race. Not ISIS. Not the Taliban, not 
Al-Qaeda, but those who twist the doctrine of election. He 
says, for they strive their utmost to subvert every assurance of 
salvation. That's powerful, isn't it? We 
ought to stand fast on the blessed reality that whom he foreknew, 
he predestined. that God the Lord is sovereign 
in his doings with reference to his people. It is that which 
will shut the mouth of the accuser. It is that coupled with his justifying 
grace that is the foundation upon which the saints find rest, 
security, and comfort. Now having said that, I don't 
mean don't read your Bible, lay on the couch, and if the devil 
comes, just say, well, you know, God elected me, and I'm justified 
freely by his grace. Certainly say that. You need 
to be faithful, and we'll see that with reference to Joshua, 
subsequent to the justifying grace of God in his life. Notice, 
in the second place, the charge given to Joshua in verses 6 and 
7. I note the theological progression, 
or the specific theological order. He is justified, and then he's 
commanded how to function in light of that. Justification 
precedes, in this regard, sanctification. Sanctification without justification 
is an impossibility. But justification is the foundation 
upon which sanctification necessarily follows. Notice in verse 6, then 
the angel of Yahweh 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. You see, Joshua, you've been 
justified. You see, Israel, you've been brought out of darkness. 
Now, function in a capacity that is consistent with God's justifying 
grace. And I do believe that several 
of these things point to the new covenant. 1 Timothy 3, verse 
15. The house of God is the church 
of the living God. Israel will have charge of God's 
courts according to the Prophet Zechariah. This finds application 
in 1st Peter, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed 
by men but chosen by God and precious. You also as living 
stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus 
Christ. And our function as New Covenant 
priests to our Lord is in verses 9 and 10 of 1st Peter 2. But 
you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 
his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises 
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, 
who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who 
had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." And I think 
what we have at the end of verse 7, I will give you places to 
walk among these who stand here. Probably a reference to angels. 
I will give you places to walk among these who stand here. We 
ought to conclude with reference to this statement, it means access 
to God. The angels are the attendants 
of the glory of God. If we are going to walk where 
the angels are, that means that we will be in the presence of 
God. Isn't this the consummate blessing of God's covenant? I 
will be their God and they shall be my people. The new covenant 
description of access to the Father through the Son by the 
Spirit is clearly indicated and given to us in Ephesians chapter 
2. So you see, Zechariah and Haggai are encouraging the people 
of God, but as well, Zechariah and Haggai are giving. promise 
concerning the new covenant in which the Lord Jesus Christ will 
come as champion to successfully effect the covenant that was 
laid upon him in eternity past to bring the salvation to his 
people and glory to his father. Now notice thirdly the promise 
concerning the branch. All of these good things hinge 
upon him. all New Covenant blessings, all 
blessings for the people even in Zechariah's time hinge or 
focus upon our Lord Jesus. Notice in verse 8, Hero Joshua 
the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you 
for they are a wondrous sign, probably his fellow priests. 
Joshua is the high priest, there are other priests that are not 
high priests. Notice, for behold I am bringing 
forth my servant the branch. Now, this is a blessed description 
of our Lord Jesus that I'm sure you've met with before in your 
Bible reading. It seems to originate in 2 Samuel 
chapter 23 at verse 5. As well, we have Psalm 132.17 
and several times in the prophets. But just take these twin identifiers 
of our Lord. I am bringing forth my servant, 
the branch. It could be the case, my servant 
the branch, or it could be two distinct references. My servant, 
and if we consider servant language in the Old Testament, Hopefully, 
our minds will be taken back to what Pastor Porter read at 
the outset of worship. In Isaiah 53, we see the servant 
of the Lord. We see the servant of Yahweh. 
We see him several times in the prophet Isaiah. The servant of 
the Lord in Isaiah envisioned someone who brings redemption 
to his people through suffering, accomplishing the will of God 
in spite of shame and humiliation. As well, Ezekiel 34 associates 
the servant of the Lord with the Davidic shepherd king. With 
reference to this title branch, Jeremiah envisions the branch 
as a king associated with David in Jeremiah 23 and again in 33. 
The branch reappears in Zechariah. You can probably just look over 
in your Bible to see that in chapter 6 verses 12 and 13. Notice 
he is the king priest who builds the temple. Zechariah 6.12, Then 
speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord of Hosts, saying, 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 counsel of peace shall be between them both." 
So you see, all of this hinges upon this servant, the branch. All of these new covenant blessings 
that are promised in the prophets find their focus in the Lord 
Jesus. Isn't this what Paul says in 2 Corinthians? All the promises 
of God are yea and amen in him. So Zechariah, to the people, 
building that temple, is preaching Jesus Christ. It's quite a glorious 
passage of scripture. And then the section ends with 
a promise of blessing. as our God is often want to do, 
he encourages his people with the promise of blessing. Notice 
in verse 9, for behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua. Now this stone could have symbolized 
temple reconstruction, which of course symbolizes the chief 
cornerstone, which is Jesus Christ. And of course the two encouragements 
for the post-exilic community, that they would be successful 
in building this temple. Remember, they halted temple 
construction for 16 years. Why? Because they were opposed 
by people in the land. Certainly, it would be a helpful 
thing for Zechariah to say, look, the temple's going to be built. 
Makes you swing your hammer a lot more firmly. It makes you get 
to your work a lot more diligently. It makes you rise up in the morning 
realizing that we are going to complete our particular task 
here. And they did it in four years. That's pretty impressive. 
It did lack the glory of Solomon's temple. as we see in the prophet 
Haggai, as we see in Ezra, nevertheless it was indeed God's promise that 
it would be successful. So notice, verse 9, for behold 
the stone that I have laid before Joshua, upon the stone are seven 
eyes, behold I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord, and 
I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. Love the 
way Gil traces this one day to the doing and the dying of our 
Lord Jesus. When Christ says it is finished, 
that is when there is an end to iniquity. That is when there 
is a removal of iniquity. And then in verse 10, a familiar 
promise in the Old Testament. It's found in 1 Kings and in 
Micah the prophet. And it's a promise of peace and 
security. In that day, says the Lord of 
Hosts, everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under 
his fig tree. It's peace. It's security. It's comfort. It's consolation. 
It's blessing. It is the provision of Yahweh 
to his people after he, by His grace alone elects them and justifies 
them freely by His grace. Well, brethren, there's a few 
concluding observations that I think will be helpful before 
we move on to observe the Lord's Supper. In the first place, you 
may not be of a particular bent to have Satan assault you often, 
but it may happen. There may be those instances. 
There's a little book by Carl Truman called Luther on the Christian 
Life. It's a recent publication, I 
think last year. And there's a section or subsection 
in one of the chapters called Martin Luther, Dr. Martin and 
the Devil. And it was really intriguing. 
Martin Luther saw the devil a lot. Not, you know, horns and a pitchfork 
and the cave coming into his room and whatnot. But he was 
conscious of the presence of the devil. He was conscious of 
the opposer of his soul. 1 Peter 5 is a reality. I'm of the mind that the devil 
is bound vis-a-vis Revelation 20. But the binding of Satan 
in Revelation 20 is specified so that he may not deceive the 
nations. But 1 Peter 5 tells us that he 
roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He's 
not a vanquished foe, he is a defeated foe, but nevertheless, his presence 
is real. Remember that instance in Matthew 
chapter 16, Jesus announces that he's going to go to Jerusalem 
to die. What does Peter say? No, that's 
not going to happen. And Jesus rebukes him and says, 
get behind me, Satan. When the disciples go out preaching, 
according to Luke 10, Jesus says, I saw the devil falling like 
lightning. The Lord Jesus recognized the 
machinations of the devil, and some of God's people throughout 
the history of the church have recognized those as well. You 
need to understand that there is going to be opposition to 
you. It's not going to be the case 
that you're just going to sing your way to heaven. I mean, sing 
on your way to heaven, but realize there will be assaults, and realize 
there is an adversary. Again, a reference to Luther. 
I think he's so helpful in this matter of justification. This 
is a statement by Walter Kaiser. It's probably a familiar story. 
I'm just reading Kaiser's version. One of the most famous ink spots 
in the world is on the wall of the Wartburg Castle in Germany. 
I'm sure the halls would tell me I'm butchering Wartburg. It 
looks like Wartburg. Luther dreamed that Satan appeared 
to him reading a long scroll with all his many sins from his 
birth on. As the reading, could you imagine 
that? It would be a terrible dream, wouldn't it? To have someone 
reading the list of sins from your birth on, I'd have to say 
that would be a long dream, too. They say dreams are, what, two 
or three seconds? That would take about two or 
three thousand years for somebody to read all our sins. He says, 
as the reading of the list proceeded, Luther's terrors grew until finally 
he jumped up and cried, it is all true, Satan, and many more 
sins I have committed in my life which are known to God only, 
but right at the bottom of your list, the blood of Jesus Christ, 
God's son, cleanses us from all sin. He grasped the inkwell on 
his table and threw it at the devil. That's why the ink spot's 
there on the door, or on the wall at the Wartburg Castle. 
That's what we tell the devil. Now, I don't say we tell him, 
we talk to him. You know, some of the Charismatics 
and Pentecostals, they're casting out the demons of cloudy days 
and all that. I'm not suggesting that we do that, but this is 
the point. But right at the bottom of your 
list, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all 
sin. If anybody ever produces that 
list, that is your comfort. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's 
Son, cleanses us from all sin. That's always our comfort. That's 
always the antidote against the devil. That's how we combat the 
adversary, whether it is the devil or whether it's our own 
hearts. How can you be a Christian? How 
can you say you're a believer? How can you go through these 
motions? You know your heart. You know your sins. You know 
your depravity. You know your filth. You know 
your vomit. You know your feces. Ah, but 
the blood of Jesus Christ is sun. cleanses us from all sin. Romans 8, it is He who died and 
has risen again. Paul ushers this challenge, who 
shall bring a charge against God's elect? The Lord Most High 
has chosen, the Lord Most High has justified us freely by His 
grace. That is the foundation upon which 
our comfort springs. As well, we ought to consider, 
in this particular section, the things given to Joshua find their 
counterpart in the things given to Jesus. Here I'm indebted to 
a great essay by Ian Duguid in a book, it's not Duguid, like 
D-O-G-U-I-D, he goes out and he does good, it just happens 
to be his name. Ian Duguid, in a book called Covenant Justification 
and Pastoral Ministry. He says that this vision or the 
vision should remind us of the imputation which occurred in 
the opposite direction in the life of Jesus Christ. You understand 
imputation? The removal of the filthy garments 
and the imputation of the righteous garments. So the sin is forgiven, 
the righteousness is imputed. We have to understand that there 
was an opposite occurrence in the life of our Lord Jesus. In the first place, Joshua was 
clothed in filthy garments. Christ is the righteous and holy 
one. Secondly, Joshua was clothed 
in rich robes. The sin of the elect was imputed 
to Christ. Thirdly, Joshua received a clean 
turban. What does Christ receive? He 
receives a crown of thorns. Fourthly, Joshua is declared 
not guilty by God. Christ is delivered up by lawless 
hands and crucified as a criminal. And fifthly, Joshua is promised 
access to God. I will give you places to walk 
among these who stand here. At the end of verse 7, Christ 
cries on Calvary, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? You see, all the good that is 
imputed to Joshua, we find with reference to Jesus, the new covenant 
Joshua, our sin, our filth, our vomit, our feces, are all imputed 
to him, and he pays that debt. Paul brings this out beautifully 
in 2 Corinthians 5.21, For he made him who knew no sin to be 
sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 
2 Corinthians 8-9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, 
that you through his poverty might become rich. in that passage 
that Pastor Porter read at the outset of worship. You see all 
the stuff from us that is heaped upon Him. All the stuff that 
is ours is imputed to the Savior so that He can pay the debt at 
Calvary on our behalf. Surely He has borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, 
smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace 
was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, 
have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his 
own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." 
Bless God for the doctrine of justification. Bless God for 
the doctrine of imputation. Bless God for the forgiveness 
of sins and the righteousness of Christ that is given to us 
and received by faith alone. A faith that he himself gives 
us. And all of this in the context 
of God's sovereignty of his election, of his predestination. So when 
your own heart seeks to bring a challenge, reflect on theology, 
reflect on soteriology, reflect on the glory of God Most High 
as revealed in the scripture. If the devil seeks to assault 
you, take up that inkwell and throw it at him, saying this, 
right at the bottom of your list, that Christ, or rather the blood 
of Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin. Praise the Lord 
Almighty for his justifying grace. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you that justification 
is not an abstract doctrine just given to impress theologians, 
but it is the stuff of the Christian life. We thank you for this picture, 
for this portrait, for this illustration, description that we find in the 
prophet Zechariah and certainly as justified by grace through 
faith alone people, we acknowledge that this is the reality. Our 
sins have been forgiven. We have been given a righteousness 
that avails with God and we praise you for the mercy that you have 
shown to us. We praise you for the the grace 
context, or the sovereign grace context. We praise you for election, 
predestination, and for all of your goodness displayed through 
these things. We ask our Father that you would 
protect us and keep us and help us to refresh ourselves with 
memory of these things for our daily lives. And we pray these 
things through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.