Zechariah 4 Acts 1 vs 1-8
We can understand the Apostles’ question about the kingdom here in Acts 1.  Israel had been waiting a long time for their monarchy to be restored, centuries in fact.  It had once been independent, prosperous and powerful under Kings like David and Solomon.  While they obeyed God they prospered but when they turned to worldly idols things went downhill rapidly.  The nation divided and was conquered first by Assyria and then Babylon.  Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple were destroyed.  While the city and Temple had since been resettled and rebuilt they had remained for centuries a tiny vassal state ruled by the emperors of Babylon, then Persia, Greece and now Rome.
 
But now the Messiah had come.  Jesus of Nazareth had spoken and performed dramatic signs with divine authority, offered His life as an atonement for human sin and risen triumphant over death!  So these Jewish disciples are naturally wondering, is this the time for our nation to be fully restored?
We’ll come back to that.
 
Meanwhile let’s rewind to 539 BC when a modest number of Israelites have returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the house of the Lord in preparation for their promised Messiah. 
 
It was hard work.  They faced constant opposition and discouragement.  So God sent the prophets Zechariah and Haggai to motivate and encourage them.  ‘Is this a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses while this house remains a ruin?’ challenges Haggai, ‘Be strong all you people of the land and work for I am with you, declares the Lord, ’My Spirit remains among you.  Do not fear.’  Here in Zechariah 4 the prophet assures them that despite many disappointments and setbacks the Temple will be completed with God’s help.
Let’s notice three things here.
 
Firstly this was ‘a day of small things’.  Israel had been a numerous people living in a large territory.  The Temple of Solomon had been epic in scale and adorned with the costliest treasures.  Some elderly folk could remember those days and it seemed that the new temple was a poor shadow of the former one.  These were a humbled people living in modest times.  A day of ‘small things.’ 
 
Did that mean their work was insignificant?  Not at all!  The Lord is with them and He foresees success. 
 
 ‘the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel’.  That needs a bit of explanation!  In scripture the number seven represents God.  Six is a human number, seven is a divine number.  God’s ‘eyes’ are thought to be going throughout the world.  In other words the Almighty Who sees and knows everything including the future is confident the Governor Zerubbabel will finish the restoration they have begun.
 
‘Days of small things’ can be discouraging even heart-breaking but we mustn’t abandon our faith.  God is still working and He will bring about His purposes in His way and time.
 
We note secondly this was also a day of spiritual promise.  The Governor was given a word of personal encouragement, ‘Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.  They had little might or power of their own.  They weren’t allowed a king or an army.  They were surrounded by hostiles.  The odds were stacked against them humanly speaking but what human beings do is only part of the picture.  It’s what the Holy Spirit can do in human hearts that brings about the greatest change. 
 
Obstacles that seem like mountains are removed as the Lord builds His Church.  People are liberated from cruel bondages, hearts and attitudes are changed by redeeming love, persecutors become apostles and enemies become friends as the Spirit works grace inside of us.  Inspired by the example of Christ, guided, taught, empowered and equipped by the Spirit, God’s people discover courage to serve in all kinds of challenging circumstances.
 
Rebuilding this temple took Zerubbabel and his companions twenty years.  It required patience and perseverance.  They had to keep going even when they felt like giving up.  Christians today need to keep practising our faith that Jesus will keep His promise and build His death-defeating Church using very ordinary people like us who seek to honour and obey Him.
 
A third thing we have here in Zechariah 4 is a vision of global witness.  The prophets were often inspired to speak in picture language and many of these pictures are used again in the New Testament and applied to Jesus and the Church.
 
The prophet sees a menorah, a seven branched Jewish lamp stand fed by precious golden oil.  Either side are olive trees.  530 years BC this was a picture to encourage those working on the rebuilding project.  The new Temple would soon shine God’s light and truth again for all the world to see.  The leaders of this small band of workers, Zerubbabel the Governor and Joshua the High Priest would be given a special anointing from God to serve in the propagation of this light.  They would be witnesses, serving ‘the Lord of all the earth.’  This picture is used again in Revelation 11.  It’s also echoed in our more familiar second reading today in Acts 1 and now we’re back with Jesus’ patriotic disciples and their concern for their homeland and people.
‘Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’
In reply Jesus instructs them to leave the future of their nation in God’s safe hands.  He has a bigger plan for them and for us!
 
Just as God’s Spirit helped Zerubbabel and Joshua overcome the challenges of their ‘day of small things’ He would now fill and empower the Apostles and all Jesus’ followers to be His witnesses at home, among our neighbours ‘and to the ends of the earth.’  We are to witness to Jesus, the Light of the world, throughout the world.  In so doing we are building a spiritual ‘house’ of worship and obedience and preparing for His return in glory to the world!
 
‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses,’ says Jesus the Saviour, the Son of God.
 
This is how His Church is built.  This is how God’s Kingdom comes.
 
Praise and honour to His name.
 
Amen

(Read Nehemiah 12 v 27-43 and Ezra 10 v 1-4)
 
 Today we’re asking the question, what does revival look like?  When God is at work in human hearts what kind of results might we expect in individuals, communities, societies?  Our answers are to be found in our OT readings from around 450BC when Ezra and Nehemiah were leading God’s people to rebuild Jerusalem and prepare for the coming Messiah.  Let me summarise some of what happened under three headings – Penitence, Joy and Change.
 
Firstly Penitence, a godly sorrow because things are not as they should be.  We read in each case where Ezra and Nehemiah were told of the bad state of things in Jerusalem they were distraught and grieved deeply.  Parts of the city were still in ruins, the people were divided and demoralised, everyone just looking out for themselves.  A very key part of being a spiritual, godly person is to feel this distress over sin and its consequences.  We cannot be satisfied until things are set back on track, until people walk once more in paths of righteousness and justice rolls out like a never failing stream.
 
These men responded by devoting themselves to fervent prayer.  Their sorrow drove them to their knees in confession of their sins before God, and the sins of their people.  Their deep penitence drove them to plead earnestly with God for His grace and mercy.  They didn’t take it for granted but prayed for the assurance of it.
 
Throughout history times of revival have always featured earnest praying.  The 1859 Revival in Ulster began with just a few people gathering faithfully in a schoolhouse in Kells to seek God’s forgiveness and favour.  In Wales in 1904 church buildings remained open around the clock to accommodate crowds who packed in for hours on end to pray.
 
Another thing we’ve noted in the ministry of Ezra and Nehemiah was a new attention to God’s Word.  On occasions Ezra would read from the scriptures to large gatherings and some of the Levites would help explain it to the people.  And the people gladly came and listened carefully with a new hunger to know and understand what God had to say.  Initially the information added to their sorrow as they realised how far short they were of God’s standards and how serious their sin was.
 
But this penitence from the Holy Spirit drove them to keep listening and searching the Scripture until they found peace for their souls.  In 1859 many Irish Presbyterians returned to church in the afternoon and evening.  There was no evening service in those days but crowds would come and knock on the manse door asking the minister to preach to them again from the Bible for they felt a need to be assured of salvation.  They needed to know they were right with God.
 
In time this sincere penitence was rewarded with great Joy.  Ancient Israel celebrated their festivals with renewed happiness.  God had not abandoned them.  He was not only holy but also compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving mercy.  Relieved of their burden of guilt, people began to experience the peace of God that passes understanding, gratitude in the present and new hope for the future.
 
Today’s reading describes one occasion of great national happiness where huge crowds were led in singing worship by two choirs and music groups, encircling the city with a mantle of praise.  Men, women and children, the whole population rejoiced in God’s loving kindness.  They gave Him glory, loudly, and neighbours couldn’t help but notice.
 
Some may sneer at this kind of religious enthusiasm.  They may scoff and think people like this are simple minded or crazy altogether.  But as many more are compelled by their witness, convicted of their own sin and need and are prompted  to seek God for themselves.
 
It’s estimated 100,000 people made adult commitments to trust and follow Jesus during the Welsh Revival.  Just as palpable as the penitence and sorrow for sin was the joy when people came to know the Saviour Who carried our sin and His victory over death.  We have sorrow over our failing but great joy in His atonement on our behalf, His triumph over evil and promise of eternal life.  Filled with His Holy Spirit our hearts swell in appreciation of Him.
 
There is a third important thing to note from these scripture readings today and it is the need for Change.  When God revives our hearts and minds by His Spirit of truth things cannot remain the same.  Jesus preached that people should ‘Repent and believe the Good News’.  ‘I don’t condemn you,’ He said on one occasion, ‘but you must leave your life of sin.’
 
This can be costly.  It may mean real sacrifice.  Some of these OT people had welcomed foreign wives and their religions.  It was painful but they could not continue with that.  When we begin to appreciate God’s amazing grace and what it cost for us to be forgiven we cannot keep sinning!  How can we insult with fresh or prolonged disobedience the One Who loves us and gave Himself for us?
 
Revival brings change as peoples’ consciences are realigned to please the Lord.  In the Belfast shipyard new sheds were constructed to house the huge number of stolen tools that were returned.  Police in Wales reported little to do as the crime rate dwindled, courts had very few cases to hear.  Pubs went out of business as the demand for alcohol fell.  In the coal mines the pit ponies were confused because miners didn’t swear anymore.
 
Spiritual renewal often prompts social reform.  The abolition of slavery and development of the modern welfare state owe much to the evangelical faith of social campaigners.
 
When we come to know Jesus, we don’t want to do wrong anymore.  We desire that which is good and pleasing to God and we naturally want others to share the benefits of His generous grace. 
 
Could we dream a little today?  Could we dream of a town where we can walk down the street and not hear God’s name blasphemed, a town where women are respected and children are safe, a town where people invest their money in generous community and charity rather than throw it away on more drink?
 
It can be more than a dream.  It became reality in Jerusalem 450 years BC and in many times and places since.  It could again, if God’s people return with all our hearts to the Lord our God in penitent prayer.
 
Amen

What makes a place a ‘home’?
 
We may think of familiar surroundings, a fireside and favourite chair where we can relax and put our feet up but there’s more to it than that.
 
Has it to do with where we grew up?  Is it where we now eat and sleep most often?  Is it where our closest family and friends are?
 
In very general terms we might say that ‘home’ is somewhere we feel we belong, where we feel comfortable, and safe and loved. 
 
Christians may identify with all of the above but we are given an extra, deeper dimension.  For us, ‘home’ is not so much a physical place as a state of being.  We can be ‘at home’ anywhere when we are closely following our Lord and Master, seeking His will and enjoying His care. 
 
In the epic story of the Old Testament the nation of Israel are the ‘covenant’ people descended from Abraham and Jacob.  A fundamental part of their identity is their relationship to their forefathers’ God.  Biblical writers teach that God established and prospered the nation in the land of Canaan with David and Solomon and Jerusalem and the Temple but the people proved disloyal to their God, committing spiritual adultery by worshipping the idols of their neighbours.
 
God is holy and after many prophetic warnings He eventually let Jerusalem be overthrown and its people deported to exile in Babylon.  But He is also loving and merciful so we find that 70 years later a ruler signs an official edict permitting and even helping finance Jewish exiles to return to their homeland.
 
God is faithful to His promises and He brings His people home.  Home to Jerusalem.  Home to Himself.
 
The prophet Isaiah was preaching before Jerusalem fell and its people were taken into exile.  Throughout his writings we find an important balance.  The Lord God is awesome in power and holiness and true to His Word so some of these messages are stern warnings that people need to repent of all God says is wrong or suffer dreadful consequences.  But Isaiah’s long ministry also had many beautiful promises of comfort such as we find here in ch40.
 
The Lord we worship is almighty, with infinite power.  He created the billions of stars in this universe and knows the detail of each one.  He overrules human governments, establishing or deposing leaders.  Idols can’t do these things.  People of faith take comfort that our fate is ultimately in God’s all-powerful hands.
More, God’s Word can be trusted.  The grass grows but then withers, people and empires flourish and pass away but God and His promises remain true and dependable from generation to generation, century after century.  Skeptics and atheists die but the Lord lives on and keeps His Word.  He warned His people they would be disciplined in exile and it happened.  He promised to bring them home and He did so, more than once!
 
God’s Word has been carefully recorded and preserved in the Bible.  His living Word at a time also became incarnate, embodied in Jesus, God’s Son.  Isaiah ch40 speaks of the Lord coming like a conquering king to bring His people back to Jerusalem.  Jesus is that king and He has paid for our sin on the cross.  We can be forgiven, reconciled to God.  His generous blessing can now be restored.  We don’t have to stay away, we can come home.
 
Prepare the road, says the Word of God, remove any obstacles, fill up the valleys and potholes, any areas which are lacking by practising righteousness.
We might recognise these words for John the Baptist quotes them in the Gospels as he announces the promised Saviour King is about to appear.  God keeps His promises.  Many witnessed His glory in Palestine 2000 years ago.  When Christ returns at the end of the age ‘all mankind together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken’!
 
We should notice the tone of this chapter, how the prophet is to speak ‘tenderly’ to the people and give them words of comfort and encouragement.  To be sure, ‘the Sovereign Lord comes with power and His arm rules’ and His glory seems at times to be overwhelming.  Biblical writers like Moses, Isaiah, Daniel or the Apostle John who are granted a glimpse of God’s heavenly majesty are initially quite terrified and convicted with a deep sense of unworthiness.
 
But Isaiah is told to speak tender messages of comfort and reassurance.  God is beyond awesome and yet ‘He tends His flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.’  Our Lord is compassionate and understanding.  No one knows us better.  No one gives us more or has more patience.  Good Shepherd that He is, He has come to seek and to save the lost, to rescue us, to gather us as one flock safe home to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
 
What an amazing picture, that the infinite Lord of all glory would ever think of very flawed people like you and me and carry us ‘close to His heart’!  Yet so says the Word of God!
 
Are we ever tempted to doubt God’s power or his care?  Might we sometimes wonder if He has forgotten or given up on us?  Does the road home from Babylon to Jerusalem seem too long, the task of rebuilding God’s house too difficult?  Do we ever get tired or discouraged?  Life can weigh heavily on us and even young people can become disillusioned and despair.
 
Let’s be reassured by the closing words of Isaiah 40:
 
‘The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth…He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’
 
The One Who has a name for every star, knows and cares for each one of us.  There is a home waiting in heavenly security and joy which he has gone to prepare.  There is new life and strength for those who trust in Jesus, who ‘wait’ on Him in prayer - and who start walking!