The Cleansing

Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

Book of Luke Chapter 5

In the time of Jesus, every teacher had his own company of disciples.

Jewish Rabbis had theirs, Pharisees had theirs, John the Baptist had his, but the difference in the disciples of Jesus Christ was that He chose twelve men Himself.

This inner circle of men had to forsake their lives and follow the Lord Jesus wherever He went.

They also continued the ministry of Jesus after He returned to Heaven.

The most important thing was that they were trained to carry the ministry of Jesus forward after He was gone.

They changed from disciples to Apostles.

That word apostle has a similar meaning to ambassador.

We should realize that the Lord Jesus also appointed another seventy men and commissioned them.

Luk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
Luk 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Luk 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

A disciple of Jesus Christ will submit to baptism, submit to the teachings of God’s Word, and obey all the Lord Jesus has commanded.

The Lord has told all His disciples that He will make us fishers of men: Mrk_1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Jesus would have all mankind caught in the Gospel net!

*Luk 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

Lake Gennesaret is the same body of water known as the Sea of Galilee.

The call of men is needed more today because the world has more than eight billion people in it who need to hear the truth of the Gospel and make a decision for themselves.

We can see that these people wanted to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

They wanted to hear the Word of God!

They had a hunger and thirst for things that the Lord Jesus was saying.

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

We need that same hunger and thirst today for the truth.

*Luk 5:2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Luk 5:3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Have you ever noticed how sound travels so well when you are on the lake?

I believe the Lord Jesus had a booming voice that could be heard from a great distance, but no man can talk over a large, disorderly crowd hanging all over him.

Simon Peter makes his fishing boat available to the Lord Jesus, so Simon participates in the work of the Lord.

Like a pastor preached recently, “What do we have in our hands to give unto the Word of the Lord”?

Do we make available our resources to the work of the Lord?

*Luk 5:4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luk 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

The work of the Lord is not all drudgery; the work of the Lord can be rewarding.

Now, this is not saying that Jesus teaches a prosperity Gospel, but God will reward those who are on the battlefield of the Lord, but it is rarely financial, other than meeting our needs.

Peter and those with him had fished all night and had taken nothing.

This is the outcome I have most of the time, but catching fish is not the main reason I go fishing.

Here again, the Lord Jesus had a reason for the miracle that He was about to perform.

The title Master comes from the Greek word meaning teacher.

Sometimes the same Greek word for teacher is used as the title doctor.

Peter was an experienced fisherman, and he knew if the fish did not bite in the night, they were not going to bite in the daytime, but the Lord Jesus wanted to start working on Peter’s faith.

The Lord also wanted Peter to accept Him as the Messiah who has control of all nature.

The lesson from the Lord Jesus was out with the old and in with the new.

A New Covenant was beginning, and it would have better results than the Old Covenant.

The lesson for us all is that we can place our faith in the infallible Word of God.

As we build on our Christian lives, doubt must be replaced with obedience.

There are no hopeless situations for the child of God.

The results of obedience will always be a blessing.

When we are drawn to God, we need to obey our hearts.

I can remember a few weeks before I came to this church, I was walking in my yard, and the Holy Spirit asked me why I was throwing my life away because of the way I was living.

I only knew the truth of that day when I came through the doors of this church.

Peter was having a similar feeling on this day with the Lord Jesus.

*Luk 5:6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Luk 5:7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

The miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ showed that He could do things that only God could do.

There are many charlatans out in this world today, but none of them can do what only God can do. And we must not be fooled by them.
The Holy Spirit will not allow their lies to be true.

Those who claim the power to heal should go to the closest hospital and stop the suffering of those on the inside.

If Peter had only caught a few fish or even a net full of fish, he would have thought little about it.

The Lord Jesus wanted Peter to feel the willingness to serve the Lord.

If Peter thought he was exhausted, he was about to find out what true exhaustion was all about.

Peter’s net could not hold all the fish, and he called for another boat to come to help. Both boats had so many fish in them that they were in jeopardy of sinking, which the Lord would not have allowed because it would have defeated His purpose.

The Lord Jesus knew exactly how many fish it would take to sink those boats!

When we make decisions in this life, we must make those decisions according to the Word of God and our faith.

Peter’s faith began to rise.
Peter’s faith rested on the Words of Christ, “At Thy Word”. No one else could have talked Peter into letting down his nets he had just cleaned.
Peter’s faith led to obedience without questioning.

Many of us are disappointed at what this life offers, but we find that as we walk in step with Jesus Christ, we learn what blessings are all about.

Peter became overwhelmed because of his own sin of doubt.

*Luk 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Luk 5:9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

Peter understood exactly what had happened!

Peter was overwhelmed by his own unworthiness!

Peter understood that he had just witnessed a miracle.

The people on the shore are not mentioned, but they were there, many of them, because they had witnessed or heard of the many miracles of healing that the Lord Jesus had performed.

To Peter, the Lord Jesus was no longer Master but now Lord. We know Him as Lord of lords.

Peter came to the Lord Jesus upon his knees in confession of his sins.

1) Peter confessed to his sin of unbelief. He had questioned the Lord’s will. He had to acknowledge that the Lord’s power was not of this earth.

2) Peter confessed that Jesus was indeed Lord. In this verse, the Greek word “kurios” means supreme in authority.

1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Peter acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was the authority that must be obeyed, and we had better understand this also.

3) Peter confessed his fear and his reverence as Peter was in awe of the miracle that the Lord Jesus had just shown him.

This reminds us of the Prophet Isaiah: Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Peter was close to salvation as we know it:

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

And others had witnessed this miracle.

*Luk 5:10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Luk 5:11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

This passage tells us when these men realized that Jesus is Lord of all, and they were determined to follow Him.

This passage tells us something else.

We know that in typology, this fishing boat is in type the Church, and the Church cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ being onboard.

Jesus Christ challenged these men to follow Him and become fishers of men.

It is the job of the Church to produce and train fishers of men with those who answer the call of Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

To Peter, it was now obvious that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah come from God, and he had what we all need.

A reverent fear of God and an actual fear of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus, sensing this fear, said, “Fear not”.

The Lord Jesus had not come at this time for “judgment”. He will judge this world when He returns the second time.

So, we too can “Fear not”.

In actuality, the world has already been judged, and we are judged as sinners.

This is the reason the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What do we know of our own calling?

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

There were two of the disciples of Christ who were named James.

Here we have James, the brother John was the son of Zebedee.

It is this James with his brother John and Peter who become the Lord’s inner circle.

This James is never mentioned apart from John.

This is the James that King Herod had killed with a sword.

There is another James, the son of Alphaeus, called James the Less, because he was shorter than James, the brother of John.

There are also two other men named James.

James, the half-brother of the Lord, who later became the pastor of the Church in Jerusalem.

It is this James who wrote the epistle of James.

Then there was James, the father of Judas Iscariot.

Those who are called of God will forsake all and follow the Lord.

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

*Luk 5:12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

There are some things we should see here.

Leprosy is a type of sin in the New Testament.

In the salvation plan of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners.

Then we must acknowledge the cleansing.

In reality, we are not healed from our sin; we are cleansed from our sin.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin.

We must be washed to become clean.

Rev_1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Is the Lord Jesus also the Great Healer? He certainly is, and He can heal us from any ailment.

Mat_14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

He will do neither without a show of faith.

Luk_9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

This leper, who came to Jesus, was sustained by his hope. He saw hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world!

He called Jesus Lord because he knew that Jesus is Lord of lords.

1Co_12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

We must realize just how dirty and defiled we are on the inside and on the outside before we can be cleansed of that defilement.

We must humble ourselves before the Lord, who only can cleanse us!

Leprosy was the most terrible of diseases in the day of Jesus and was greatly feared by the people, and we should see sin in the same way today.

It would cause disfigurement, and many times it was fatal; again, sin causes these same things.

It is no wonder that leprosy is a type of sin in Scripture.

The leper was considered unclean.
The leper was judged to be the walking dead.
The leper was an outcast and banished from society.
The leper was considered polluted and incurable.

Sin will cause these same things, but because of the mercy and grace of God, He looks deep into our hearts, and He knows there can be something special in each of us if we will only trust Him.

The leper had asked the Lord Jesus if He could be willing to help him, and the Lord said; ‘I will”.

*Luk 5:13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to help anyone if they show faith in His powers.

The Lord Jesus is always moved with compassion for those who are hurting in any manner.

This leper acknowledges that he is hopelessly lost and the only thing that can help him is God’s “Grace”.

Only “Grace” can heal a leper because only “Grace” can cleanse us of our sin!

So many have become desperate in our world today because this world cannot help them, and if it could, it refuses to help them.

The Lord Jesus reached out and touched this man when no one else would ever touch a leper for fear of getting the disease.

Every leper was considered untouchable!

The Highest of all God’s could go low enough to touch the unclean leper when no one else would.

The Lord Jesus Christ will reach out and touch all who are considered untouchable in our world if they trust Him.

The Lord Jesus is always willing to help those who have faith that He will help them.

How did Jesus heal this leper? It was that sword in His mouth. He just spoke the words “be thou clean,” and this man was cleansed.

We can all be cleansed by the Word of Jesus Christ.

What did the Lord Jesus do throughout the time He was upon this earth the first time?

Mat 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

For this, He was crucified!

*Luk 5:14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

What did this man need to do next?

This man needed to worship and offer thanks to God and learn to obey the Word of God before doing anything else.

Remember, this man did not have a place on his body that was not covered with leprosy.

In typology, he was deep in sin. He wanted to run and tell the world that he was now.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus had come to this earth as a lowly servant, and He did not want people to think more of Him than this.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Jesus Christ did not do the things He did for self-exaltation.

Jesus wrote all prophecy, and He knew some would try to make Him king, but it was not the time for this to take place.

It was highly unlikely that any lepers were healed in those days. A priest had to go through a detailed list of laws to ever confirm that any leper was cured.

This leper still needed a certificate from a priest saying he had been cleansed.

Book of Leviticus, Chapters 13, verses 38-59, and Chapter 14, verses 1 through 32 will give us some idea about the cure of leprosy.

*Luk 5:15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
Luk 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

The fame of our Lord actually interfered with His ministry so much that Jesus had to withdraw to the wilderness and talk to His Heavenly Father.

This is another great example for us.

When the world interferes with our relationship with our Savior, we need to get alone with God and tell Him what we are going through.

Jesus had the message of salvation and the power to heal, but the message of salvation is much more important!

It was God and prayer that were the source of His power, and He needed much time alone with God, just as we all do.

*Luk 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

As the fame of the Lord Jesus grew, the old religionists came to investigate.

Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was at this time Teacher, and it is His message that is of greater importance.

This committee had representatives from all over the country. Every major area was represented.

These people could not get along with each other, but they came together to critic the Lord Jesus.

These critics did not come to help Jesus in His ministry of salvation, and they certainly did not come to learn from Him.

They came to investigate and observe Him. They were like spectators at a ball game, except salvation is not a game. Salvation is a God thing, and God sent His Son to show us the only path to Salvation.

What did the Lord Jesus do? He just kept on doing what He was doing and paid them no attention.

Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

We are not here to judge any minister who is serving in the name of our Savior.

We were never called to be judges but witnesses!

*Luk 5:27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
Luk 5:28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
Luk 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

When the Lord Jesus Christ began building His disciples who stayed with Him, He chose those who were the outcasts of society.

This man called Levi is the same as Matthew, who wrote the Book of Matthew.

Levi was a dreaded tax collector.

The tax collectors of that day were normally Jews, and it was Rome who set up the tax standard, but most of the tax collectors were rich because they collected more than was required.

For this reason, they were hated because they worked for the Roman government.

To the Lord Jesus, Matthew was just a sinner like we are all sinners, and we should see other people as sinners just as we are sinners.

We may be better off than those who reject the Lord Jesus, because He has made a way for us to get to Heaven, but we are not better than anyone we meet, lost or saved.

In fact, Christian Pride can interfere with the job the Lord has given us to do.

We should have a testimony about what salvation has done for us, but the message we have is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus went forth, whether it was from a house or a city, because it was time for Him to be busy about His Father’s business.

What is the business of our Heavenly Father? 1Ti_2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

By associating with a man such as Levi, Jesus was exposing Himself to ridicule and acceptance by the upper class of Jerusalem.

These outcasts were not acceptable to the social network of society, but Jesus loved them.

We must understand that we were all outcasts from Heaven until we accepted the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as the Lord Jesus humbled Himself before these outcasts of society, we have to humble ourselves before Him.

Everything that the Lord Jesus did was an example for us to learn as we are to be more like Him in all His ways.

Matthew made a great feast in his home, and there were many more of the tax collectors there because they were each other’s only friends.

Matthew’s heart was now filled with joy, and he wanted all his friends to learn of God’s Messiah.

Matthew forsook his riches and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus wants us all to do the same thing today.

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

As always, the super religious crowd found faults in the way that the Lord Jesus worked His ministry, and these outcasts of society were not wanted in their religious circles.

They were not acceptable!

*Luk 5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Luk 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Luk 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The religious crowd saw Jesus Christ only as a person who associated with the rejected of society.

Today, this would be the drunks, those who consume drugs, those who have addictions to all sorts of illegal substances, those who are in jails, and anyone else who accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called us to witness His truths and not be like those who only judge people to see if they think they are acceptable.

If you did not keep the laws of the religious crowd on that day, you were ceremonially unclean and rejected.

Thank goodness we are not under the law, but under grace, God’s Amazing Grace.

The Lord Jesus said to this crowd that only those who realized they were sinners needed a Savior.

All those who are righteous in their own eyes do not need anything.

These are those who are sick, but they do not know it.

They will never call the doctor, so they can never be healed.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners.

The Lord Jesus died to pay the sin debt of all sinners, even those who think they are not sinners.

The Lord Jesus gave His life for the life of all sinners!

The righteous crowd does not accept the fact that they need repentance!

They say they do not need saving.

Those who trust in some false god say they do not need saving.

Those who are rich think their money can buy them salvation, so they do not need saving.

Those who trust in the ways of the world say they do not need saving.

What does God teach us?

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And God the Father adds: Psa_2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Pro_6:15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Pro_1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Today is the day of salvation, don’t wait until it is too late to call upon the Lord!

Amen

The Cleansing of Israel

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

THE CLEANSING OF ISRAEL

READING TODAY FROM: Zechariah 13:1-9

We have been studying about some things that happen after the “rapture” of the Church. In Ezekiel the Temple and the River that will flow from it. In Daniel the world kingdoms past and future and the times of Christ coming, past and future. In our last lesson we saw the redeeming, the saving of Israel by Christ our Lord and how they finally turn back to God and even the leaders knew the people had returned to the Lord and they could see the power of God through his children. These are things that the Bible says will happen at the end of the tribulation period and in the Millennial Kingdom. The “second coming of Christ”!

Today we see the the “Cleansing of Israel”.

Before we can come to know our Lord as “Saviour” we must first realize that we are sinners. We have no righteousness on our own. In fact the Bible says:

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and [all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags]; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We know as being unrighteous we could not possibly stand before a “Righteous God”. Every sinner needs a cleansing before God will accept us into His beloved family.

THERE IS ONLY ONE “CLEANSING” RECOGNIZED OF GOD:

Rev 1:5 SAYS  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. [Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood],
Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

WE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS UNTIL WE SEE JESUS:

Php 4:7 SAYS  [And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding], shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

PRAISE GOD FOR HIS MERCY AND GRACE!

There are basically two views of mankind:

1.) That mankind is basically good, that man is good in his heart but will sometimes do bad things and need teaching and understanding to make them perfect.

THIS IS THE HUMANISTIC POINT OF VIEW!
I IMMEDIATELY ASK MYSELF WHO IS THIS PERFECT TEACHER HERE ON THIS EARTH?

2.) The Bible teaches that we are born in sin. Human nature is basically evil. We may do some good things on occasion but we are sinners until we “REPENT” an place our “FAITH” in JESUS CHRIST.

Many get confused of “repentance”.

Mat 21:28 says  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
Mat 21:29  He answered and said, I will not: [but afterward he repented], and went.
Mat 21:30  And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

In these words of Jesus we can see to “repent” is to be obedient to the father and to go NOT in our own way but to go to where He directed us to go.

If you are a soldier marching and your leader says to you “about face” you immediately turn in the opposite direction, you have then repented your direction.

THE HOPE OF ISRAEL WAS NOT THAT THEY WOULD GET BETTER IN TIME. NO, THEY HAVE KNOWN ALL ALONG THAT GOD WOULD HAVE TO SEND THEM A SAVIOUR, THEY CALLED HIM “THE MESSIAH.”

LET’S BEGIN OUR READING:

Zec 13:1  In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Zec 13:2  And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
Zec 13:3  And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
Zec 13:4  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
Zec 13:5  But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

There has never been a shortage of false prophets. Not only in Israel but even in America and in all the World. In fact we can see as time gets closer to the end that Satan has even stepped up his false doctrine and the use of his false prophets. The true men of God have always had to try to rebuke these fakes and try to correct their false words.

1.) They teach “works” for salvation.
2.) They “deny” Jesus.
3.) They “deny” the blood.
4.) They “deny” the virgin birth.
5.) They “deny” the cross.
6.) They use other writings that they say are equal to the Holy Bible.

There are no writings that are equal to the Bible!

1Jn 2:22 says  [Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ]? He is antichrist, [that denieth the Father and the Son].

IN OTHER WORDS TO DENY JESUS IS TO DENY THE ALMIGHTY GOD!

THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE EASY TO SEE. THERE ARE SO MANY FALSE DOCTRINES IN THE WORLD NOW THAT THE WORLD IS CONFUSED TO THE TRUTH.

1Co 14:33 says  [For God is not the author of confusion], [but of peace, as in all churches of the saints].

GOD HAS MADE SALVATION SIMPLE:

2Co 11:3 SAYS  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, [so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ].

IF SALVATION COULD BE BOUGHT, THEN IT WOULD NOT BE WORTH HAVING. THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU WHEN IT COMES YOUR TIME TO DIE AND EVERYONE WILL DIE.

RELIGION IS SATAN’S BUSINESS AND HE CAMOUFLAGES IT IN ANY WAY THAT HE CAN USE TO DECEIVE GOD’S CHILDREN.

(in that day)

What day does Zechariah refer to at least 16 times just in his last three chapters?

Isa 13:6 says  Howl ye; [for the day of the LORD is at hand]; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Isa 13:7  Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:

THAT DAY IS SOON COMING. “WE CALL IT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST”. THIS IS NOT THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT CHRIST WILL NOT COME ALL THE WAY TO THE EARTH ON THAT DAY.

1Th 4:16 SAYS  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain [shall be caught up together with them in the clouds], [to meet the Lord in the air]: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

NO THIS IS THE DAY OF WRATH PROMISED BEFORE TIME BEGAN!

Job 21:30  That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? [they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath].

Rev 6:17 says  [For the great day of his wrath is come]; and who shall be able to stand?

THIS IS THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!

(shall be a fountain)

We saw the great mourning in Zec 12:10 they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and [they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn].

We will now see the joy of the Lord Psa 30:5 says  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, [but joy cometh in the morning].

WHAT A JOY IT WILL BE WHEN WE ENTER INTO ETERNAL LIFE KNOWING THERE WILL BE NO MORE TEARS!

Rev 21:4 SAYS  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT BRINGS CONVICTION. WHEN YOU ACCEPT THE LORD JESUS INTO YOUR HEART AS YOUR SAVIOUR, “THE HOLY SPIRIT” IMMEDIATLEY MOVES IN AND YOU ARE SEALED AS A CHILD OF GOD.

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, [ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise],
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

That word “earnest”  means the Holy Spirit is our down payment until the day we meet Jesus in the clouds, the day we meet Him in the air. That is the actual day He redeems what He purchased with His blood.

YOU CAN SEE IN THESE WORDS OF ZECHARIAH HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS BEGUN HIS WORK ON THESE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. THAT FOUNTAIN OF THE LORD WILL BREAK FORTH, WIDE AND FREE AND UNSTOPPABLE.

1Co 10:4 SAYS  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

THEY WILL AGAIN DRINK OF THIS SPIRITUAL ROCK BUT THIS TIME THEY WILL BELIEVE!

THE FOUNTAIN OF THE LORD IS FOR CLEANSING FROM SIN. THE SIN OF REJECTING GOD.

1Jn 3:4 SAYS  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1Jn 3:5  And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

JEREMIAH WROTE ABOUT THIS NEW COVENANT WITH THE LORD MANY YEARS EARLIER!

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

THIS IS THE COVENANT OF GRACE THAT HAD BEEN WITH THE CHURCH UNTIL THE CHURCH WAS RECALLED. SO THERE IS STILL A GREAT HOPE FOR THIS BELOVED PEOPLE OF GOD.

Rom 11:26 SAYS  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27  [For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins].

ONLY THROUGH THE WORK OF GOD’S LAMB CAN ANY BE SAVED!

Joh 1:29 SAYS  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, [Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world].

JESUS CHRIST IS THAT FOUNTAIN!

Rev 22:17 SAYS  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

THAT CLEANSING FOUNTAIN THAT OPENED AND GUSHED FORTH FROM
THE CROSS!

The fountain opened is the pierced side of Jesus Christ, for thence came there out
blood and water—precious blood, the price of our redemption. Those who now look to
Christ pierced are saved—but this Israel does not see and will not until His Second
Coming.

1Pe 1:18 SAYS  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  [But with the precious blood of Christ], as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Israel, at the end of the age, will pass through a period of fiery trial for purification, after which they will find Christ to be the Lamb slain for the putting away of sin. Their sin and uncleanness finally put away, they shall be restored to Jehovah’s favor.

1Jn 1:7 SAYS  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Verse 2)

WHAT DOES TRUE REDEMPTION BRING?

In {that day of the Lord} the names of all idols will be destroyed. The Hebrew word (atsab) is used here and it denotes the work of man’s hands, the results of man’s labor.

Eze 14:5  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Eze 14:6  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

Hos 4:12  My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

WHERE DID THESE JEWS LEARN OF THESE THINGS?

(also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land)

IT HAS BEEN THESE FALSE PROPHETS ALL THE TIME THAT HAVE BROUGHT THE DOWNFALL OF THESE PEOPLE. AND IN THIS SAME PHRASE WE SEE THESE PROPHETS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE EVIL SPIRITS. THESE SAME EVIL SPIRITS ARE STILL AROUND IN 2011 AND THEY STILL INFLUENCE THE FALSE PROPHETS OF OUR DAY.

*****BUT THIS DAY OF THE LORD BRINGS A CLEANSING AND AN AWAKENING FOR GOD’S PEOPLE. WHEN YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHT OF OUR GLORIOUS LORD JESUS CHRIST.

1Co 12:2 SAYS  Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

THIS DAY THE PROPHECY OF HOSEA WILL BE FULFILLED:

Hos 2:19 says  And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Hos 2:20  [I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD].

Verse 3-5)

HOW DO THESE FALSE PROPHETS PASS OUT OF THE LAND?

They are recognized for what they are by their own parents.

2Co 5:16 says  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17  [Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new].

Those that live will be so ashamed they will dress so they will not be noticed as a prophet of any sort. This is a reference to a true prophet such as John the Baptist or Elijah.

2Ki 1:8 says  And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

If asked about what they used to do, they will deny ever being prophets and say they are just regular working people and go back to doing work that they once knew.

LET’S COMPARE THIS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO PAUL IN EPHESUS

Act 19:17 says  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Act 19:18  [And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds].
Act 19:19  [Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men]: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Act 19:20  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

THE APOSTLE PETER WROTE:

1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
1Pe 3:13  And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
1Pe 3:14  But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1Pe 3:16  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

NOTICE HOW GOD’S WORD WILL STILL WORK IN ANY AGE, EVEN THIS TIME AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.

AGAIN OUR TEXT:

Zec 13:6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
Zec 13:7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
Zec 13:8  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Verse 6)

(What are these wounds in your hands)

THERE CAN BE MANY REASONS FOR THESE WOUNDS!

1.) There is a practice of self-mutilation practiced in many false religions. In these last days of the tribulation and the second coming of Jesus these wounds will be noticed and questioned by the followers of Christ.

Proof:

1Ki 18:28  And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

2.) The Hebrew word “ahab” is used for the word friends here. The Strong’s dictionary explains this word as having affection (sexually or other wise). We know that sex has been a part of a lot of false religions. Even the Muslim claim the 70 virgins in heaven.

Proof:

friends=ahab
???    ???  ‘a^hab  ‘a^he^b (aw-hab’, aw-habe’)
A primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise): – (be-) love (-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.

Jer 22:20  Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: [for all thy lovers are destroyed].

Eze 16:33  [They give gifts to all whores]: but [thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom].

3.) There can also be a third reason for these wounds. These false prophets and those that worship anything that is not God, who are now ashamed of their so called visions and have taught a false religion but now are in  jeopardy of their own lives even from their own parents, and will have injuries and scars where they have had to defend their own lives from people that have grown tired of their lies.

When you are being beaten, you will have a tendancy to hold up your hands and arms in front of your face for protection. They will be asked, well what are these wounds we see on you. They will say friends and family have caused these wounds.

2Pe 1:16 says  For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his majesty.

THESE PEOPLE WILL JUST NOT BE DECEIVED ANYMORE BY ANYTHING THAT IS NOT THE TRUTH OF GOD!

Remember Jesus was also wounded in the house of His friends. It was the Jews who crucified Jesus. He had the nail scared hands to prove it.

And one shall say unto him, What are those wounds in thy hands? – The words are simple; the meaning different , according as they are united with what immediately precedes, or the main subject, Him whom they pierced, for whom they were to mourn, and, on their mourning, to be cleansed, and of whom it is said in the next verse, “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd.” Jerome and others  explain it of the punishment inflicted by parents. “These wounds and bruises I received, condemned by the judgment of my parents, and of those who did not hate but loved me. And so will truth prevail dissipating falsehood, that he too, who was punished for his own fault, will own that he suffered rightly.”
But wounds of chastisement are not inflicted on the hands, and the punishment of false prophecy was not such wounds, but death. Wounds in the hands were no punishment, which parents would inflict. They were the special punishment of the cross , after sustaining which, One only lived. The most literal interpretation, then, of the wounds in the hands harmonizes with the piercing before, and the smiting of the Good Shepherd which follows, of whom David too prophesied, “They pierced My Hands and My Feet” Psa_22:16.  “What are those wounds on Thy hands? How long, think you, and how and by whom will this be said to Him? For ever and ever, unceasingly, and with unspeakable admiration it will be said, both by God the Father, “to whom He was obedient unto death, the death of the Cross” Phi_2:8 : it will be said also both by the holy “angels” who “desire to look into” Him 1Pe_1:12, and by people whom He has redeemed. O great miracle, wonderful spectacle, especially in the Lord of all, to bear wounds in the midst of His Hands! And He shall say; “With these I was wounded in the house of those who loved Me.” O great sacrilege, sacrilegious homicide, that such wounds were inflicted in the house of those who loved. He will not say, ‘with these I was wounded by those who loved Me,’ but ‘in the house of those who loved Me.’ For they who inflicted them, loved Him not.

Verse 7)

(smite the shepherd)

Jesus Christ Himself repeated this verse His last night before that fake trial. The night before He was crucified.

Mar 14:26  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
Mar 14:27  And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
Mar 14:28  [But after that I am risen], I will go before you into Galilee.

Notice He also mentioned His resurrection. Now God does not often repeat Himself but we can also find this in Matthew:

Mat 26:30  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
Mat 26:31  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
Mat 26:32  [But after I am risen again], I will go before you into Galilee.

THIS HAPPENED JUST AFTER THE LORD’S SUPPER AND PROBABLY AT THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. THE BLOOD FLOWED FROM THE PORES OF HIS SKIN THAT NIGHT AS HE BORE THE BURDEN OF MY SIN AND YOUR SIN AND THE SIN OF THE WORLD.

THE DIFFERENCE WE SEE IN ZECHARIAH IS, THAT IT IS THE FATHER THAT SENDS THE SWORD.

GOD THE FATHER SENT HIS SON, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO DIE FOR OUR SINS AND FOR ALL SINS. WHEN HE NEXT COMES THERE WILL BE NO SMITING OF THE SHEPHERD. NO, HE WILL HAVE THE SWORD IN “HIS” HANDS.

WE KNOW THAT THE DISCIPLES SCATTERED WHEN THAT MOB TOOK OUR LORD. BUT AFTER THESE WORDS:

Mat 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, [His blood be on us, and on our children].

IN 70 AD THE WHOLE NATION OF ISRAEL WAS AGAIN SCATTERED AND MAY HAVE STARTED REGATHERING ON MAY 14, 1948 WHEN ISRAEL AGAIN BECAME A NATION. THE JEWS HAD SMITEN THEIR SHEPHERD ON THAT CROSS AT CALVARY. PRAISE GOD FOR PROVIDING OUR PATH TO SALVATION THROUGH THE GUSHING FORTH OF THAT BLOOD IN HIS VEINS, ON THAT DAY.

WE ARE ALL BLIND IF WE CANNOT SEE THAT GOD IS AGAIN REGATHERING HIS PEOPLE AND WE ARE IN THOSE END TIMES NOW. HE’S COMING AGAIN AND IT WILL NOT BE VERY LONG!

(upon the little ones)

IF WE GO BACK TO THE DAYS OF MOSES WE WILL FIND A SIMILIAR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE. MOSES HAD SENT OUT 12 SPIES AND WE KNOW THE STORY. GOD MADE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ROAM IN THE WILDERNESS UNTIL THAT GENERATION DIED OUT AND ONLY THE “LITTLE ONES” WERE ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE PROMISE LAND.

Num 14:28 SAYS  Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Num 14:29  Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Num 14:30  Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 14:31  But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
Num 14:32  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

COMPARE THAT TO ZECHARIAH 13:7,8 ONLY A REMNANT WILL SURVIVE, BUT GOD SAID HIS HAND WOULD BE PROTECTING THE LITTLE ONES. WE CAN SEE THAT ONLY A THIRD OF THOSE PRESENT THAT DAY IN JERUSALEM WILL BE ALIVE. THE “TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE” WILL BE A VERY BAD TIME.

Verse 9)

THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE CHURCH. AN INDIVIDUAL SAINT OF GOD IS TRIED IN THE FIRE AS THE POTTER MOLDS THEM AND MAKES THEM.

IN VERSE NINE WE SEE THE REMNANT OF THE WHOLE NATION OF ISRAEL. THIS IS THE NEW COVENANT THAT GOD PROMISED THESE PEOPLE.

THERE WILL BE NO PHYSICAL DELIVERANCE UNTIL THERE HAS BEEN A SPIRITUAL CONVERSION!
EVEN IN THE CHURCH AGE THERE IS NO PHYSICAL DELIVERANCE WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL DILIVERANCE. YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. GOD DOES NOT CHANGE NO MATTER WHO HE IS DEALING WITH AT THE TIME. HE IS STILL NO RESPECTOR OF PERSONS.

A MESSAGE TO GOD’S PEOPLE IS THAT WE ALSO NEED THAT DAILY CLEANSING. THAT CAN ONLY HAPPEN THROUGH DAILY PRAYER AND REPENTANCE. IF WE ARE NOT TALKING TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN DAILY THEN HOW CAN WE SAY WE LOVE HIM.

IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY IN ISRAEL THAT DAY WHEN THEY REALIZE THE LOVE OF GOD AGAIN! WE DON’T HAVE TO WAIT,AND NEITHER DO THEY OR ANYONE ELSE.

TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!

Psa 51:7 SAYS  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:10 SAYS  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

LET’S PRAY!