The Answer (Zech. 3:4-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/6/2016 10:05 AM
My Worship Time        Focus:  The Answer
Bible Reading & Meditation     Reference:  Zechariah 3:4-5
 Message of the verses:  “4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes." 5 Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.”
 We did look briefly at these verses in our last SD, but we want to add some things from them in this one and then in the future we when I look at John MacArthur’s sermon on these verses we will come back and add some more things.
 We see some truly wonder words in this section, words of promise, words that if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ to take away your sins that it can happen to you even at this moment as you realize that you are a sinner, actually born a sinner, and you have a desire to confess that to the Lord and by faith accept the payment for your salvation was purchased on the cross when Jesus paid for your sins, and my sins and all who come to Him in faith, that if you do this the same thing will happen to you as seen verse four “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”  This same Jesus who did this for us was the One who gave this promise to Joshua here.
 Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “But God in His grace goes beyond forgiveness and clothes us in His own righteousness.  ‘I will put rich garments on you.’  (Zech. 3:4).  Adam and Eve tried to hide their guilt under garments of their own making (Gen. 3:7), but God killed animals and clothed them in skins (v. 21 NIV).  Blood was shed that sin might be forgiven.  ‘I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 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’ (Isa. 61:10, NKJV; see Luke 15:22).
 “The climax of the cleansing (forgiveness) and robbing (righteousness in Christ, 2 Cor. 5:21) was placing of the special turban on Joshua’s head; for the golden plate at the front of the turban was inscribed: HOLINESS TO THE LORD (Ex. 28:36-38; 39:30-31).  It was this that made him, the people, and their gifts acceptable to the Lord.  We have no righteousness of our own, but we come in the righteousness and merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior (1 Peter 2:5).”
5/6/2016 10:20 AM