Sermon Notes - Zechariah 3 - Cleansing - September 20, 2026

1.        Please open your Bibles to Zechariah chapter 3.

a.        As we move onto night vision number four.

2.        In the last couple of weeks we have seen God call His people to repentance.

a.        He reminded them that it was their sin that mattered.

b.       But if they followed God they would be blessed.

c.        Repent and God’s hand is upon you.

d.       Repent and be restored.

e.        Judgement was going to the surrounding nations.

f.          And they did not know how much time they had.

3.        Repent, Turn to God before it is too late, and watch God work.

a.        All messages that are still relevant today.

4.        2 Corinthians 5:17-18

a.        When we turn to God.

b.       Surrender to Jesus.

c.        Repent of our sins.

d.       We become a new creation.

e.        We are reconciled to God.

f.          We are restored.

g.        No longer are we lost in sin.

h.        We are become who we were created to be.

i.          A new creation that is a child of God.

5.        Cleansed from unrighteousness – that dirty stuff is wiped away.

a.        Washed and renewed – The mercy and grace our God gives us, changes who we are.

b.       We become that new creation – we are restored by our God to our God.

6.        A wonderful thing.

7.        In Zechariah 3, we get what may be one of the best examples in Scripture of what this looks like.

a.        Let’s dig in.

8.        Zechariah 3:1

a.        Three people are there.

b.       Joshua, who is the high priest.

c.        The spiritual leader of the Jewish people during their return from exile.

d.       The angel of the LORD, which is pre-incarnation of Jesus.

e.        This tells us that Joshua is standing before Jesus.

f.          Ready to be judged.

g.        Then there is the third person, Satan.

h.        In Job we see Satan accuse Job, in Revelation 12 we are told that his accuses all people.

i.          Joshua, standing before Jesus to be judged.

j.          With Satan ready to layout all that he has done wrong.

9.        This is what it will look like for us.

a.        One day we will stand before the judgement seat of God.

b.       Satan will do what he can to make sure our list of sins are known.

c.        To air all of our dirty laundry.

d.       If we are dependent on our being good enough or doing enough.

e.        It will not be pretty.

f.          Our sin will carry us down.

g.        Judgement will be swift.

h.        We would face a horrible eternity.

10.   But thanks be to God, things are different with Jesus as our Savior.

11.   Zechariah 3:2

a.        Do you see the all caps in LORD?

b.       This is Jesus stepping in.

c.        Before Satan can get a word out.

d.       Before a single sin is listed.

e.        Jesus steps in.

f.          Stops him in his tracks.

g.        Nip it.

h.        Not a word Satan.

i.          I am at work here… meaning God was at work.

j.          Satan cannot do anything to stop it.

k.        Satan wants Joshua to look bad.

l.          But Jesus is putting a stop to it.

m.     Satan will want us to look bad.

n.        To join him in the lake of fire.

o.        But, with Jesus, the accuser will not get a word out.

12.   Now Joshua is like a burning stick pulled from the fire.

a.        The fire is judgement.

b.       Joshua deserved judgement.

c.        He earned it.

d.       No different than us.

e.        We deserve to be judged for our sins.

f.          We deserve to be cast in the lake of fire.

13.   But God.

a.        Is at work.

b.       And our Lord Jesus steps in.

14.   Zechariah 3:3

a.        We are not talking a little dirty here.

b.       The word used for filthy here is also translated as excrement or vomit.

c.        Joshua is in bad shape.

d.       Those hearing Zechariah would have understood this as being ritually unclean.

e.        Not following the OT Laws.

f.          Doing something that prevented him from doing his job as the high priest.

g.        He was not fit to serve God.

h.        Let alone stand before Him.

i.          He deserves punishment.

15.   Isaiah 59:1-3

a.        Our sin has a stench to it.

b.       It separates us from our God.

c.        He cannot be around it.

16.   Without Jesus we are filthy.

a.        Romans 3:23

b.       We would look like Joshua.

c.        We would smell like him.

d.       We would deserve to be judged.

e.        We are lost without Jesus.

17.   Zechariah 3:4

a.        Jesus is intervening.

b.       He is having the filth removed.

c.        The stench is being wiped away.

d.       Isaiah 1:18

e.        Our sins are horrible.

f.          But through God, we are made white as snow.

g.        The dirt is wiped away.

h.        The stench is cleansed.

i.          We become clean.

j.          We become righteous.

k.        Through belonging to Jesus.

l.          The Psalmist tells us our sins are separated as far as the east is from the west (103:12).

m.     That is pretty far.

18.   Zechariah 3:5

a.        Isaiah 61:10

b.       Garments of salvation.

c.        Robe of righteousness.

d.       Not because of what we have done.

e.        But because of our God.

f.          The sending of His Son.

g.        To pay our debt.

h.        To wipe our sins away.

i.          To redeem us.

j.          Making it so we can be a new creation through Jesus.

k.        Being born again.

l.          A restoration that only comes from our God.

19.   What we are seeing here is Joshua being restored as the high priest.

a.        When God gets a hold of us.

b.       When we repent and surrender to Jesus.

c.        He restores us.

d.       Renews us.

e.        He works in us.

f.          Preparing us to do what He has created us to do.

20.   Zechariah 3:6-7

a.        Remember this is OT.

b.       God spoke through Moses clearly laying out what the people were to do.

c.        What the high priest was to do.

d.       The angel of the LORD, Jesus, was giving Joshua direction.

e.        Joshua needed to follow God.

f.          To do what was passed down through Moses.

g.        To rightly lead the people.

h.        Guiding them back to God.

i.          If Joshua did these things, he would be able to do what he was created to do.

j.          In this case, that was serving God and God’s people.

21.   What we would call Loving God with all that we are, and loving others as we would love ourselves.

a.        When we have been made a new creation.

b.       When we are following Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

c.        It is to impact how we live our lives.

d.       We are not saved by what we do.

e.        But our salvation, our being a child of God, should drive us to serve God and others.

f.          Letting God work in us and through us to reach those in our communities.

g.        To help them see that they are loved.

h.        To point them to our Lord and Savior Jesus.

22.   Zechariah 3:8

a.        Joshua and the priest that serve with him are themselves a sign.

b.       A sign that a blessing is coming.

c.        A future king.

d.       The ultimate in restoration.

e.        Jeremiah 23:5-6

f.          The prophecies in Zechariah and Jeremiah are pointing to the coming of Jesus.

g.        A branch that stems from king David.

h.        A branch that will be called ‘The LORD is our Righteousness.’

i.          Righteousness that we can only receive by belonging to Jesus.

j.          By repenting of our sins and surrendering to Him.

k.        The restoration of Jerusalem and the worship of God in Zion, are pointing to the restoration that comes through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

l.          Restoration that is available to those who believe.

23.   Zechariah 3:9

a.        Why would Jesus give Joshua a stone with seven eyes on it?

b.       Well, it is a symbol of God being with him.

c.        Eyes represent providence or protection.

d.       Seven is the number for perfection.

e.        The message to Joshua is that if he continues to follow God.

f.          Do what Jesus laid out for him.

g.        Then God’s perfect protection would be over him.

24.   Which fits with the second half of the verse.

a.        He, being Jesus, will take away the iniquity of the land.

b.       Hebrews 10:10-14

c.        Jesus died one time for the sins of all.

d.       His death is the only sacrifice that can sanctify all who believe.

e.        To provide a path to eternity with God.

25.   Now there is a little debate about this verse in Zechariah.

a.        Everyone agrees that it has to do with Jesus.

b.       The question is, was the one day his day on the cross.

c.        Or is it the day the 1,000-year reign ends.

26.   One of those debates that ultimately does not matter.

a.        Because either way it is all about Jesus.

b.       The one who has died for our sins.

c.        The one who has sanctified us.

d.       Paving our way to eternity with Him.

27.   Zechariah 3:10

a.        A day will come, when we will celebrate with others.

b.       A celebration because God’s peace is with us.

c.        A celebration because we have all we need.

d.       Might be what we experience in the 1,000-year reign of Jesus.

e.        Might be a celebration in paradise.

28.   It will be a celebration because we are His.

a.        If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, the accuser will have no grounds to charge you.

b.       He may try.

c.        But Jesus will cut him off.

d.       Because your debt has been paid in full.

e.        It has been wiped away.

f.          Your sins had been removed as far as the east is from the west.

g.        That is, if you have given your life to Jesus.

29.   Thoughts for the road:

a.        As a child of God, you are a new creation. Your sin is gone. Are you still holding on to something? Struggling with guilt? It is no longer yours, ask God to help you leave it behind.

b.       Jesus told Joshua to follow God’s ways and commands. How is God leading you to serve Him and Others?

c.        Time is limited and salvation only comes from Jesus. Who do you need to be praying for? Who can you share what God is doing in your life with?

30.   This chapter in Zechariah is a great example of how Jesus takes care of His followers.

a.        The trick is for Jesus to stop Satan from accusing you, you need to belong to Jesus.

b.       Left to our own we are filthy, we would stink.

c.        We could never be in the presence of our God.

d.       We would spend our forever in the lake of fire.

e.        But God.

f.          God sent His only Son to earth to become the one and only perfect sacrifice.

g.        Which He did by dying on the cross.

h.        Paying for all of our sins.

i.          For all who repent and believe, those sins are wiped completely away.

j.          And then we become a new creation.

k.        A child of God.

l.          Where we get to spend forever in God’s presence.

m.     A much better eternity than we deserve.

n.        Jesus made this possible.

o.        He is standing at the door knocking.

p.       He wants each of us to join Him.

q.       If you do not know Jesus.

r.          You don’t know how much time you have.

s.        Respond to His knocking before it is too late.

t.          Believe in Him.

u.       Repent of your sins.

v.        And be restored.

w.      If that is you this morning, I invite you up to the altar to pray.

31.   If you are already a follower of Christ and are ready to be baptized or join RSBC, I would love to talk with you after service.