WINNING OVER DEPRESSION
The Book of Zechariah #7
Zechariah 4:1-14
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Woodland Church
(Zechariah 4, NLT) “Then the angel who had been talking with me returned and woke me, as though I had been asleep. “What do you see now?” he asked. I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl of oil on top of it. Around the bowl are seven lamps, each having seven spouts with wicks. And I see two olive trees, one on each side of the bowl.” Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord? What do they mean?” “Don’t you know?” the angel asked. “No, my lord,” I replied. Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’ ” Then another message came to me from the Lord: “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.) Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on each side of the lampstand, and what are the two olive branches that pour out golden oil through two gold tubes?” “Don’t you know?” he asked. “No, my lord,” I replied. Then he said to me, “They represent the two anointed ones who stand in the court of the Lord of all the earth.”
1. Depression usually moves in these stages. Blahs > Mopes > Burnout.
2. The gold lampstand is a symbol of the Messiah, the Light of the World.
3. The flowing oil is the symbol of the infinite presence of the Holy Spirit.
a. Oil lubricates.
b. Oil heals.
c. Oil lights.
d. Oil warms.
e. Oil invigorates.
f. Oil adorns.
g. Oil polishes.
4. The two trees represented the priestly and kingly ministry fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
5. The mountain represents the rubble of Jerusalem.
6. The two anointed ones are Jeshua and Zerubbabel.
I. GOD’S LIGHT SHINES THROUGH HIS CHURCH.
(Revelation 1:12–13, NLT) “When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.”
(2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT) “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 4:6–7, NLT) “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”
a. We will face mountains.
(Zechariah 4:7a, NLT) “Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him!”
b. Sometimes progress seems very slow.
(Zechariah 4:9, NLT) “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.”
c. Sometimes our ministry seems insignificant.
(Zechariah 4:10, NLT) “Do not despise these small beginnings, …
d. Our ministry is God’s delight.
(Zechariah 4:10, NLT) “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
e. The Church will prevail.
(Zechariah 4:14, NLT) “…the Lord of all the earth.”
(Habakkuk 2:14, NIV) “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
(Revelation 5:9, NLT) “And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
(Matthew 5:14, NLT) “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
II. I MUST DAILY DEPEND UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT.
(Zechariah 4:6, NLT) “Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
(1 Corinthians 3:12, NLT) “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.”
(Galatians 3:2–3, NLT) “Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”
(Matthew 5:16, NLT) “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
GROWTHWORK
1. Depend on the Lord and work in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Zechariah 4:6, NLT) “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
(Hosea 1:7, NLT) “But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.”
2. My good works will\ survive if done in the power of the Holy Spirit the glory of God.
3. Look at your ministry through God’s eyes and not the eyes of the world.
4. Bigger and better is not always more beautiful.
5. Finish your work.
(Zechariah 4:7, NLT) “Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!”
6. So far we have learned God revives, cleanses, protects, empowers, and blesses those who are faithful to Him.