Let us pray again that God would speak to us through his word, even at the end of a busy and a full weekend.

Let's pray and ask for God's help.

Gracious God, our loving Heavenly Father, we ask that you would again be gracious to open our hearts and our minds, to hear your spirit work through your word, to teach us the truth about you and ourselves, about life in your world and how we can use what you've given us for your glory and honour.

Father, give us soft hearts, open minds, being awake and alert and not distracted, that we can listen to you and so respond rightly to you.

We ask this for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Could that be likened to our salvation from hell? What are your thoughts, Tim?

Yeah, thank you, Sam.

It's interesting to try and think about, again, one of the different allusions, the connections that are going on.

When I was thinking of, maybe if I read verse 11 and 12, I can tell you what I was thinking.

Verse 11, as for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope.

Today I declare that I'll restore to you double.

Could you help us understand a bit more about where you see that in the passage in chapters 9 and 10 and what that means for us now?

Grain shall make the young men flourish and new wine the young women.

Our great God, thank you that in your word you give us all that we need for life and godliness.

Thank you that you teach us about yourself and the reality of our lives and how we can live for you.

May your spirit teach us your truths today.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Well, over the last few weeks, I've been working to restore a bit of furniture.

it.

doing yeah yeah we'll get stuck into some questions on all of Haggai so Darren's asked really helpfully in Haggai it does talk about God the Lord shaking heaven and earth what does this shaking of heaven mean exactly

That's a great question.

I think in the talk, I was trying to build this picture that everything, everything in the creator world is being shaken or shook.

I'm not sure which way we're going for being shaken.

Heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land, all the nations.

So in what sense is heaven? I wonder if that's a picture to the judgment, even on heavenly beings, that is enacted in this final judgment.

And so perhaps whether, taking away where I think it all goes, but if this is all what takes place on the cross, primarily in Jesus' death, it seems to be where heaven is shaken.

um hughes asked really helpfully um if if jesus has indeed taken away the judgment that we deserve um and we're saved from eternal judgment um do we experience judgment like the people in haggai chapter one uh where god talks about um there seems to be a consequence or a judgment for their disobedience do we see that now

He says he is with them.

And so they will succeed in doing his work.

Some of you may remember us noticing this in the end of Matthew's Gospel last time in the Bible Talks.

After his ascension, Jesus gathers his disciples and he says to them in chapter 28 of Matthew's Gospel, Go therefore, verse 19, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

This was a big task.

But what was the confidence they could have to actually succeed in making disciples of all nations? Well, Jesus says, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, and behold, I am with you always.

The presence and power of Jesus with his disciples is what makes this mission possible.

Surely no one would

How do we wrestle with that whilst we're still sinners?

Yeah, thanks, Matt.

I appreciate your humility in trying to wrestle with this question.

I wonder if there's just a little bit of an overarching principle of what does religion actually mean? Sometimes we can think about it as maybe the formality of what a church gathering might look like.

And there can be different things that appeal about the reverent language or dress or atmosphere that's provided by a church building or a church service.

But I think in the Scriptures, religion is far more than that.

James talks about some of the outward acts of obedience and service and worship.

It doesn't seem to be a requirement that there seems to be some freedom in the New Testament, but yeah.

Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word.

Thank you for its truth.

Thank you that we can gather to read it in our own tongue and that we have you with us today by your spirit that you are speaking to us.

Help us to hear you and to obey you.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

What's it all about?

Yeah.

The Lunge Club, it's, it's born really out a lot of research that's come through the New South Wales Office of Sport.

Um, and I have to thank Kerry Turner from the Office of Sport.

She's an absolute firecracker.

She was, um, part of the Australian women's water polo team before, uh, there was actually a women's Australian water polo team.

Um, and she's been driving a, an inclusive agenda within sport for, for a long time.

And how are people reacting to it, Tim?

But

it's hard to know exactly if there's too much that we should read into it.

At the very least, when you come to Hebrews, the letter is really clear that Jesus isn't from the tribe of Levi.

And he's coming as a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

seems to very much be framed as the fulfillment of that Levitical priesthood.

And in fact, God's promise and expectation that even dates back to Genesis 14 and the arrival of Melchizedek, who Abraham tithed.

Levi being a descendant from Abraham, in a sense, was looking up to Melchizedek as a greater priest.

How do we diligently obey God?

the throne

of David as God had promised.

Perhaps people wondered whether their sin had driven that hope away.

What would triumph look like for God's people? Would this change of regime bring a restoration of the nation? Or was God just going to come and dwell with them while they continue to live under foreign power? As Zechariah's vision comes to an end, God then speaks a word to Zechariah that gives him and his people great hope.

So at point three, God's coming kingdom.

And have a read from verses nine to 11 as God speaks.

And the word of the Lord came to me, Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jediah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.

Jesus

Alex and Caleb have asked, what do they refer to? Could it relate to Elijah and Moses at the scene of the transfiguration of the Gospels? Or are they Joshua and Zerubbabel? How do they relate to Jesus? Do they relate to Jesus' priesthood and kingship? Yeah, what are your thoughts?

Thank you, they are good questions.

And perhaps it helps us reflect a little bit on how we're trying to read and apply this Old Testament prophecy.

I think in the immediate context, you have this vision that's described and explained, I think, Two people, sons of oil, I think associated with the oil that's pouring out of the trees to fuel the lamp, which seems to be this picture of two people who are providing and enabling for God's presence to return in the form of the temple in particular, but symbolized by the lampstand.

And in the context of Zechariah, and I think it's supported by what we see in Ezra and in Haggai, those two people who seem to play a central role are the ones that these central two visions in chapters 3 and 4 focus on.

Of Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel the governor.

So I think primarily they are the reference.

Yeah.

Him.

Back in Deuteronomy 18, we see the opposite.

It's kind of a test for whether someone has spoken a word that hasn't come from the Lord.

God said, you can know that the word hasn't come from me when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord.

If the word doesn't come to pass or come true, that's a word that the Lord has not spoken.

The prophet's spoken it presumptuously.

You need not be afraid of him.

How is God going to respond to this?

What were your initial thoughts Tim?

Yeah, thanks, Tabby.

As Carl helps us to see this week from this passage, there is Satan as the accuser.

And sadly for each of us, we have things in our lives that Satan can rightly accuse us of, that we rightly deserve God's judgment.

It seems in response to the clear accusations that Satan could bring against Joshua, after all, in verse 3, we read that he is a man standing there clothed in filthy garments, representing the many accusations that could be brought against him.

When the Lord Yahweh says to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, I rebuke you, it seems to be a great expression that this is not the time for Satan to bring down the high priests of the Lord's people, but rather God's reassurance is that he's chosen Jerusalem, he's chosen Joshua to lead his people, and then Joshua is the one who has actually been chosen by God to be cleansed, to be forgiven, to lead his people and say, I think the great picture is this seems to be a current rebuke that the Lord issued to Satan in the days of Joshua and the rebuilding and the restoration of the nation and the temple.

And this great picture that though Satan may have a right accusation, the Lord can rebuke him and send him away because he can deal with sin in a way that Satan has no further accusation.

We hear a bit about Melchizedek in Hebrews, but what are your thoughts, Tim? Does it relate to Melchizedek?

We seek to prayerfully proclaim the crucified Christ as Lord of all, and hope that these weekly podcasts are an edifying encouragement to you, wherever you are tuning in from.

Zechariah chapter three.

Then he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem to rebuke you.

Is not this a brand plucked from the fire? Now Joshua was standing before the angel clothed with filthy garments.

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, remove the filthy garments from him.

And to him, he said, behold, I've taken your iniquity away from you and I will clothe you with pure vestments.

Um, um, Monica also asked if you could clarify what the craftsmen actually refer to.

Thank you.

I don't think it is a real reference to Jesus as the carpenter.

The New Testament doesn't seem to make too much of him as playing a role as a carpenter, as a fulfillment of prophecy.

Um, I think it's just a common word, a, a common association.

So I don't think that's primarily what's going on here.

Uh, nor do these four craftsmen particularly seem to be, uh, perhaps Christological figures or, um, things that should point us to Jesus.

Mm.