Before we open the scriptures this morning, let us ask God's blessing on the hearing of His Word. Let us pray together. Father, as we come before You, seeking Your help again to understand Your words of wisdom, open our hearts and minds to heed the things that are in Your Word, that in all things we may see Jesus Christ all the more clearly. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please turn in the scriptures this morning to Zechariah chapter 3. Zechariah chapter 3. We will read the entire chapter. The text will be the first four verses. Your bulletin says the first five. We'll go with the first four. Zechariah chapter 3, beginning at verse 1. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire? Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, take off his filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, see I have taken away your sin and I will put rich garments on you. Then I said, put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him while the angel of the Lord stood by. The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua. This is what the Lord Almighty says. If you will walk in My ways and keep My requirements, then you will govern My house and have charge of My courts. And I will give you a place among these standing here. Listen, O High Priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come. I am going to bring My servant the branch. See the stone I have set in front of Joshua. There are seven eyes on that one stone. And I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord Almighty. And I will remove the sin of this land in a single day. In that day, each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine, and fig tree declares the Lord Almighty. Thus ends the reading of God's Word. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the most devastating trends that has plagued the church in our day has been a great suppression of what we commonly call doctrine. Doctrine being the teachings of Scripture. This movement today has been called the Zero Theology Movement. Doctrine and theology is seen as some bad-tasting medicine that should really be left in the back of the medicine cabinet. Doctrine, many times, is labeled as something that divides, and this thinking has caused evangelical Christianity of our day to remain on the surface of scriptures, rarely penetrating those truths that are essential for a proper knowledge of God. When we go back and read some of the people who wrote just one century earlier, we have to ask, what has happened in the church? For scarcely anymore are the doctrines of revelation, trinity, sin, grace, redemption, and many others that could be named. Very rarely are these focused on in any depth. Instead, the Bible is being treated as a handbook of happy living. The shelves are filled with self-help guides to make us feel better. Hosea faced the same problem in his day. Religious decline and decay of knowledge was rampant just prior to the judgment falling on Israel. He said this, There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. How amazing it is that in Christian circles in our day, if we were to ask the question, what is the gospel? What is the hope of a Christian's salvation? Only 37% today would be able to define that question in terms of Christ's sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection. The issue, one of the most important doctrines of Scripture is justification. And it's been rightly observed that the doctrine of justification is the article of faith by which the church stands or falls. And yet how amazing it is that in our day, this doctrine that most people know is under the greatest attack. The issue of how one is right before God is absolutely essential for each and every Christian to lay hold of. And so in this passage we're considering, this morning we want to briefly consider first, Satan and his accusation that he brings against the people of God. Second, the response of God to the problem of sin. And third, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now in chapter 3, we have the fourth vision in a series of visions quite different from all the others. What a fascinating text. Then he showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan, standing at his right-hand side to accuse him. First, we notice that Satan seeks to bring an accusation against the people of God. Now, it's been speculated as to who this Joshua really is. Some speculate that it was the Joshua who succeeded Moses, who led Israel across the Jordan and conquered Canaan. But it's clear from the context of the surrounding events that this was the high priest Joshua of Ezra 3.2, who built an altar of God according to all that is written in the law, one who was faithful. But see, in the periods before this, the priesthood had become completely corrupt. If you would read through Malachi, you would find this to be very true. The priesthood had dealt treacherously with God, attempting to deceive Him by offering up blemish sacrifices, defiled food, worshiping idols, even causing many people to stumble at the law. The common thing that went on that day, the saying was that people who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord. They greatly corrupted the covenant. And so it was the Lord's purpose to restore the priesthood after bringing them back from exile. And he shows Zechariah a spiritual vision of what takes place behind the physical. In this vision, we have God setting up Joshua the high priest with the angel of the Lord standing by. The angel has been commonly referred to in theology as a theophany, many have pointed out. The pre-incarnate Christ is clearly in view, a visual manifestation of God himself in this vision. And here we have Satan standing at the right side to accuse Joshua. Now we know it wasn't uncommon for God to set up people in front of the accuser. The Lord's demonstrating this to Zechariah. We might think back to Job where the Lord poses the question to Job. He poses the question to Satan. Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? The Lord presents Job to Satan. Does Job fear God for nothing, Satan replied. For haven't you made a hedge around him? And Satan makes the point that the reason that Job fears and obeys God is because God has enabled and blessed him. Clearly, Satan understands the sovereignty of God. You see, there was a good reason for Satan to accuse seeing how corrupt the priesthood had become. Satan thinks he can bring an accusation. He seizes the occasion to accuse and notice that he does it at the right hand. The right hand always symbolizes power and authority. And Satan has always attempted to set himself up in the place of God already from the beginning. We think maybe just 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that Satan will set himself up in the temple of God, showing himself to be God. This is what Satan's doing here. He is setting himself up at the right hand of Joshua as the great accuser of the people of God. The name Satan means accuser. And so the issue here is whether or not Satan could bring an accusation before God that would demonstrate that Joshua was guilty. You see, in verse 3 the text poses a problem. Joshua is in filthy garments. You see, Joshua is the high priest It's representing here all the elect remnant who is being restored. For he is the one who performs the rituals to atone for people's sins. And certainly one who performs this type of high priestly duty must be pure. What a problem this is for the entire human race. Sin. So we see here, beloved, that sin is a major problem for nobody can stand before our God with these filthy garments on. Jesus makes this clear in the parable of the wedding feast. A man wandered into the feast without a wedding garment, and the king approached him. How did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. And so the king commanded him to be cast where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen. The love of Satan knows this. And although one rarely hears about hell today because it's so offensive, God makes it perfectly clear that those who have on remain in these filthy garments will be cast into hell. Scripture goes into great detail to give a description of what hell is like. A place where the worm dies not. A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. A place of utter torment. A place where the devil and his angels will be. And all those who have on these filthy garments will be cast there by God. And since God won't allow sin, the Bible tells us that sin must be dealt with either at the cross or in eternity in hell. This is why the gospel message is so urgent. Because the day of salvation will be over at due time and if anyone is caught in these filthy garments, they will be judged. Beloved, oh that we might get a glimpse of what happened at the fall. Oh, that God would awaken us to see the terrible predicament that the human race has fallen into. That we might see the human race as conditioned before God and never downplay it. For Scripture says that surely we were sinful from the time our mothers conceived us. We go from the womb speaking lies. Psalm 58. And this is because we have all inherited the sin of Adam. And so Satan stands there. Lord, they're in filthy garments. And he knows that God's holiness just won't tolerate that. And how right is He? Our God is so just that a sin against His holy character must be punished. Satan's got it right. What a problem for the entire human race. For everyone has sinned and God must judge that sin. You see, beloved, if one remains in these filthy garments, they belong to Satan. Scripture makes this abundantly clear in Genesis 3.15 following the fall. Two seeds have been established on this earth. The seed of Christ and the seed of Satan. This is why Matthew 1.18 records for us that Christ came to save His people from their sins. But Christ also made it clear that the Pharisees were not of His sheep, but that they do the will of their father the devil. 1 John 3.10 says this, In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. Contrary to the popular belief of our day, God is not the Father of all of those who wear these filthy garments and do the will of Satan. Beloved Satan knows this and he knows the horrible situation the human race has fallen into, that they are under the power of darkness and will be forever lost if they remain in these filthy garments of sin. Because God's holiness just won't tolerate it. Nothing defiled with sin can enter into His presence. Beloved, how often do we hear the same thing in our days as they heard in the days of the corrupt priesthood of Malachi? That those who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord. I heard a well-known practicing homosexual woman say in our day, God will accept my lifestyle. He will accept who I am. I don't think He would ever punish me. This is the lie that people have bought into because Scripture tells us that hell will be heavily populated if one remains in these filthy garments. And the problem is, is that everyone sinned. So what's taking place here is really an argument over possession. Satan is attempting to claim Joshua as his own and he does this with all those who claim to believe. Satan's chief desire is to strike God's people. that he may claim them. This is his mission. We have a battle of possession going on here. What about Joshua? What about you? Does Satan have an accusation against us, beloved? Can he claim us as his own? And will we have to face the wrath of God for an eternity for our sin? You know, the real issue here is that everyone will have to stand before Christ to give an account for their lives. Some, it could be tomorrow. For some, it could be 10 years. Some 20 and so on. death is inevitable it will happen it is appointed for man to die once and in the judgment but if one stands before God with any sin found in them God must judge them because he is a just God and sin can't be in his presence and the problem is the wages of sin is death and everybody has sinned and so the question remains how can we be presentable before God if all have sinned Satan has a great accusation against Joshua and the people of God, doesn't he? Well, we notice, secondly, that God's response to Satan is an accusation of sin in the people of God. Amazingly and beautifully, God immediately rebukes Satan and provides a solution to his accusation. This is our hope. It points us right to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at verse 2. The Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuked you, Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire? Didn't Satan realize that the Lamb had stood slain from the foundation of the world? Didn't Satan realize that God had written down every name of those for whom Christ would shed His blood? But also in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13 and 17. Scripture tells us that the book of life will be opened at the end. And surely Satan can't look into the heart. And Scripture makes it clear that there are those who do his will because they're under the sway of his power and so he thinks he can bring an accusation. You see, Joshua at this point is still in his filthy garments. Satan knew all too well about the corrupt priesthood. But with the Lord's rebuke of Satan, it means that a solution has come. The vision points us right to the work of Jesus Christ. The Lord rebuke you, Satan. And so why didn't Satan continue to bring an accusation after the rebuke? Well, I think we need to realize that throughout the Old Testament period, Satan had access to heaven to bring accusations. The work of Christ had not been completed and accomplished. This is why Romans 3 tells us that God in His forbearance passed over the sins that were previously committed in order to demonstrate at this present time His righteousness. And so we see here in the Old Testament period that Satan had access to heaven to accuse people like Job and so on. But when Christ had finished his work and was seated at the right hand of the Father, the penalty had been paid for his people on the cross. Satan had overlooked the fact that through the penalty being paid, all those for whom were to have their sins abolished and cleared forever would be represented when Christ stood there and faced the judgment of God. Satan then has no more accusation. You see, what could he accuse? Those who have been covered by the blood of Christ cannot face an accusation. That's now. This is why Romans 8.1 beautifully tells us there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. This vision points to this very thing. It is impossible for Satan to accuse the people of God. The penalty has been paid. Revelation 12 talks about the accomplished work of Christ on the cross saying this. Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. That was at the cross. No more accusation. Through Jesus paying the price, Satan has no case or argument because these are covered by his blood. And so we have the words of Jesus recorded in John 12, 31. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Second, in Colossians 2, we read that he disarmed principalities and powers making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it at the cross. But see, we still have an adversary who roars around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour next because he knows he has a short time. He is cast to this bottomless pit of the earth for a short time. You see, Satan, doom is sure, but his focus is now different. He's doing all that he can to destroy the church, to destroy you. He can't bring an accusation to God, but he can aid in causing our own hearts to condemn us. He can try to disrupt our lives. He can corrupt the church with false doctrine and lay stumbling blocks before us and, if possible, take our lives. We see this when Jesus said to Peter, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. 2 Corinthians 11 also says that Satan comes as an angel of light and his own ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. And this is no doubt for the purpose of trying to destroy the people of God. But amazingly, no accusation can be made. Nor can he sift us, for the Lord even intercedes and prays for us that we will be kept, because we are his people. And although we will still continue to wrestle with principalities and powers, our foe is still real and strong. Yes, we may even lose these bodies, but we are told to fear Christ who can kill the body and soul in hell. And although we face a fierce foe, our Christ stands beside us and promises that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail. 1 John 5.18 says, He who has been born of God keeps himself and the wicked one does not touch him. We are eternally secure in Christ. because we've been bought with the blood of Christ. How comforting. But even more comforting to us is the second part of verse 2. The Lord adds to the rebuke, The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Beloved, this should be one of the most comforting verses to you as Christians. Because the Lord has stood on our side, Rebuke the accuser who attempted to claim us for himself. And our God stepped in and claimed us instead. We are his brand. This means that he did what he didn't have to do for us. You see, God would have been perfectly just in leaving everyone to perish for their rebellion against him and suffer for eternity. Mankind has willfully rejected God when Adam sinned. It is out of our own wicked desire. God does not tempt anyone with evil, nor even make him sin. James 1 makes that clear. And yet we see here that God, in His mercy, has decided to choose a people, redeem them, claim them to Himself. Now most of us know what a brand is. Boys and girls, when a cattle is branded, a mark is burned on them to show that they belong to a certain person who has purchased them. Likewise, God has His brand on His people. for their names are written in his book. He has marked them on their foreheads, and they are his purchased possession by the blood of Christ. None for whom are branded by the blood of Christ could ever be lost or claimed by another. Yet, beloved, shockingly, and I say this with great sorrow, one of the most despised teachings of our day that is fought against and argued about is the teaching of election. They look at it from a humanistic point of view. That's just not fair, they say. But beloved, this marvelous truth of God choosing Jerusalem, plucking some from the fire, calling His people out of darkness into this marvelous light, 1 Peter 2, 9-10, predestinating us in Him before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1, that God from the beginning chose us for salvation, 2 Thessalonians 2, 13. That's what's truly amazing and comforting. And that's what's not fair. It's amazing that God has decided to save anyone and yet He looked down and chose Jerusalem. Jerusalem has always represented the holy people of God and through the blood of Christ, we are that new Jerusalem, that bride of Christ and have been plucked from the fire of the judgment of the Almighty God Himself. He looked down and pulled some off that parable path to destruction that everyone has willfully chosen. How merciful is our God and how comforting is that to you. Do you remember, beloved, when you first understood of God's saving grace? Do you remember? When you first knew of your salvation, there's a joy still burned within you that you have been pulled from the fire. There's a joy still burned within you that you will never have to face the wrath of God for an eternity for your sin. Do you realize what you've been pulled from? What a treasure you have. Beloved, you have the words of life. God has chosen to reveal it to you. You are so very rich in receiving God's mercy and yet so much of this world does not have nor never will have what you possess in your hearts and your minds. What you possess in the Lord Jesus Christ. Is that original excitement still in place? That we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb? We are the Jerusalem plucked from the fire and we'll never have to face that eternal fire. You know, beloved, as I said earlier, one of the most attacked teachings in the church today is the doctrine and the issue of how we are right before God, justification. If there's anything so essential for us to understand it is justification. And yet so many people in the church today have no idea of how one is right before God. Most people still cling to what they must do to be saved. That means they don't understand the gospel. Yet we have a beautiful picture of our justification in this passage. We see here that justification is the legal act whereby God imputes to us the very righteousness of Jesus Christ. Verse 4, Then he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And to him he said, See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes. This is a picture of our justification. This is our justification. For when we believe, God takes one and grants Christ's perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness to that person as if He had never been a sinner. Our past, present, and future sins were paid in full at the cross. And because of this, when we believe and express a faith alone in Jesus Christ, we are justified. And God's wrath against our sin is satisfied when He looks to those for whom Christ shed His blood and He sees them as spotless, never again to be judged. They wear the very robes of His righteousness. You see, beloved, Sin can only be paid for at the cross or in eternity in hell. It's not one, it's one or the other. But at the cross, right now, the time we're living is a time of mercy. The day of salvation, the one who believes and trusts in Jesus alone is robed in Christ's righteousness. But the one who will have to answer for their sins on judgment day will face eternal wrath. You see why the Scripture gives us such an urgent call for everyone to repent and believe? For when that trumpet sounds, that's it. That's it. The day of salvation is over. How beautiful is our justification, the act of God imputing to us the very righteousness of Christ. It's nothing we do. God does this through the blood of Christ, and it can never be earned. It is a free gift. Does this mean that we're without sin on this earth? No. As long as we remain in these fleshly bodies, sin will remain. But God turns His eye to what Christ has done and accounts that very perfect work to us, to those who believe and trust in that perfect sacrifice. Beloved, if you trust in that very truth, if your faith rests purely on Christ's work and not on anything that you do, You will never be judged because you've been represented with Christ when he paid the penalty and stood there and said, it is finished. What was finished? The complete penalty that God demanded for our sin against him. Our lives are hidden in Christ. We are covered in rich robes. This is the gospel of your salvation. This is it. A familiar analogy that many like to use. We have an account in the Old Testament. There's really a beautiful picture of being robed, clothed in Christ's righteousness. Most of us know the account of Jacob and Esau. Esau was the favorite son of Isaac. But as Isaac lied blind on his bed, it was the custom to give the family blessing when death was imminent. But it could only be given to one person. And that was supposed to be Esau's favorite. But Jacob put on and covered himself in the clothes of Esau. Esau was supposed to have received the blessing. But as Isaac lay sick in bed, Jacob put on Esau's clothes. And although with Esau's garments on, he was still Jacob, the blind eye of Isaac blessed him because he had on the garments of Esau. The garments of Esau satisfied Isaac, even though Jacob wore them. Jacob was not supposed to have received the blessing, but he did. Similarly, Christ is the only begotten Son of God, And He shouldered the curse for us. And the blessing falls on us because we have on the rich robes of the righteousness of Christ. And although we may still be sinful, the Father accounts that righteousness of Christ to us as though we had never sinned. And that's why we're robed in His righteousness. Those who wear the righteousness of Christ can never be judged. This is the Gospel, beloved. This is the Gospel of your salvation. Most of us have heard this all of our lives. Since childhood, Paul, to remind Timothy, the same thing, that this truth is able to make you wise for salvation. May we meditate upon this truth. Day and night, never growing lazy and weary, in our joy of marveling at the righteousness of Christ. How will you be presentable to God on Judgment Day, beloved? Purely by an act, by the righteousness of Christ that has been provided. By believing, resting, and trusting on that very work of Christ, you have a comfort of knowing that you belong to God. That we have been redeemed and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. That we will be with Him for eternity, never again to know sin, sorrow, but to marvel the rest of eternity at the Lamb who has always stood slain from the foundation of the world. Let us always cling to this wonderful truth of what it means to be justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. Amen? Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we marvel at what you have provided in the Lord Jesus Christ. That we do have that righteousness and oh Lord, we thank you for it. We praise you for it. That it's nothing that we have done but purely his work. Thank you. For your mercy, in Jesus' name, amen.