4And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.  Zechariah 4:1-10

Small beginnings.

Zerubbabel was tasked by God with what seemed impossible: rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem from the large pile of rubble, a mountain of rubble, currently occupying its former space. His small beginnings were an object of contempt among his detractors. But God awakened Zechariah to encourage Zerubbabel to continue laying out the stones so that he could choose the cornerstone that would set the foundation and the walls of the temple.

God’s grace.

Large tasks and visions have their temptations. The leader is tempted to rely on her own wits, authority, and power. While these require skill and political awareness. The spiritual leader called by God has an ultimate point of reliance. The spiritual leader relies on the Spirit of God. God says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Jesus fully intends to build His church. Therefore He continues to give “impossible” tasks to His disciples. But He gives His Word. And He gives His Spirit as our Helper.

26“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.John 15:26

6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.8And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;10concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.15All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  John 16:6-15

Dreams from the heart of God

What’s the great mountain standing between you and the dream God has put in your heart? Last weekend Origin Church explored God’s Word to Zerubbable as a word for us. In our spiritual journey we believe disciples are graced with dreams of Jesus’ work in the lives of people. Every great dream has small beginnings. We must not despise the day of small beginnings. Although we bring all we’ve got we do not rely on ourselves as the ultimate force. Spiritual leaders rely on the Spirit of God “to build the house.” God brings the grace that fully exceeds our strengths and our weakness.

Here’s our encouragement: God says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.”