TEXT: Zechariah 12:10-13-6

SUBJECT: Christ in the Old Testament #35: Repentance and Remission

Today, with God’s help, we’ll continue our study of Christ in the Old Testament. The whole Hebrew Bible points to our Lord Jesus, but some places more clearly than others. Very few prophecies are plainer than this one. It’s quoted in the New Testament (cf. John 19:37). But even if it weren’t, I think most believers would see our Lord in it.

Its theme is Repentance and the Forgiveness of Sin. Do the words ring a bell with you? They ought to, for they’re the very things Peter said our Lord died and rose to give us. Speaking of Christ, he said,

Before I go on, let me ask you a question: Have your sins been forgiven? I know you’re a nice person, but have your sins been forgiven? I know you’ve been baptized, but have your sins been forgiven? Obviously, you come to church, but have your sins been forgiven?

If they haven’t been forgiven, what are you going to do when you stand before God in the Judgment? I don’t think, "oops" will be good enough then. Your sins will either be forgiven in this life or they won’t be forgiven at all! Your sins will either be forgiven or they’ll be punished. Forever.

The goal of my sermon, therefore, is not to expound a passage or justify my salary, but to secure the forgiveness of your sins. Through faith alone in Christ alone.

The fountain is open for cleansing. Why don’t you jump in?

Having given the application, let me move on the sermon!

If you were here last Sunday afternoon, you’ve pretty much heard what I’m going to say for the next few minutes. But, because a passage should be understood in its context, let me briefly remind you of what was going in Israel at the time Zechariah was preaching the Word of God.

Times were bad. In the last 100 years, Israel had lost four ways. In the last one, its capital was torched, its Temple was demolished, and its people were killed, starved, or carried into captivity. For seventy years they were in a foreign land suffering the displeasure of God.

But now they’re back! The Lord had kept His Word. Exile would be long and painful, but it would not be final. He promised to gather His people from the four winds and re-plant them in their land. And He’s done it.

You’d think they would be mindful of His mercies and deeply grateful for them.

But they weren’t. Israel was back in the land. But their hearts were yet far from God. Thus, the first word from Zechariah is a call to repentance,

Did the people listen to him? No they didn’t. Despite a few short revivals, the nation sharply declined over time. For the next six hundred years, things went from bad to worse.

Was everyone wicked? Of course not. But most people were. The handful who weren’t must have been very discouraged.

The Lord makes them a promise. They must not look for a "quick fix". Israel would remain in its sin for a long, long time. But one of these days, God will act decisively.

He’s going to "Pour out a Spirit of grace and supplication on these people. "Grace" means favor; "supplication" means prayer. The Lord is going to stir them up to pray and answer them in ways they never thought possible.

The key word is "Pour". The Lord is going to bathe His people in grace. And flood them in a spirit of prayer.

The outpouring will be a very great work of God. But it won’t be entirely pleasant for His people. Maybe the best word to describe it is bittersweet.

The prayers, you see, won’t be mostly praise and thanksgiving. Mostly, they’ll be confessions of guilt and cries for mercy!

What are they crying about? Their sin, of course. But which one? The biggest one of all—

This is one of the most shocking statements in the Bible. The Lord’s People are so stubborn that nothing will break their hearts short of the crucifixion of God.

When they pierce Him, they’ll finally turn from the evil ways.

And what will God do about it?

He’ll forgive them,

And not only forgive them, He will also make them holy,

That’s the Promise. Some day, God will set His People right. He’ll forgive their sins and He’ll change their hearts.

When God makes a promise, He keeps it. The promise was made about 500 B.C. But it wasn’t fulfilled then. Or for a long time afterward. In fact, several generations lived and died, having nothing but the promise. Like Simeon, they

But that’s all they did. Wait.

Until God’s time came. When it did, He acted with great speed. People who had waited five hundred years, saw the Promise unfold in just fifty days!

First, the Lord Jesus Christ was "pierced". On the Cross His hands, feet, and side were wounded by nails and a spear.

Then, the people looked at Him. The Man they had mocked and ridiculed and crowned with thorns a few hours before no longer seemed so ridiculous.

The Centurion who crucified Him said,

His soldiers did him one better. They said,

Even the mob who had called for His blood that morning, now knew better,

After He was pierced, He was buried for three days and nights. On Sunday morning, though He rose from the dead—proving that He is exactly whom He said He is and introducing a new life into the world—a new kind of life, a life eternal both in its length and in its quality.

Forty days later, He ascended to God’s Right Hand. Ten days after that, He returned in His Spirit to make His people new.

That day "A fountain was opened…for cleansing". The sins and guilt no ceremonial bath could wash away are washed away in the Blood of Christ. Sin is a black mark on my record and a stain on my soul. How can I possibly get rid of them? If I became a perfect man this morning, what would I do about the things in the past? And, how can I become a good man with guilt rubbed into my soul?

I’m stuck either way. If I should become a good man, my old sins haunt me. And because my old sins haunt me, I cannot become a good man.

So what do I do? What can you do with dirty clothes? You can either enjoy the dirt, deny the dirt, compare the dirt to someone else’s…or wash the dirt away.

Why not wash it away? By faith alone in Christ alone. The biggest, dirtiest, stinkiest sin succumbs to the power in Christ’s blood. Why not be clean? Why not now?

Having washed in the fountain, you become a new person. The Lord gives—not only the forgiveness of sins—but also repentance.

The old desires can be replaced with better ones. The old ways can be changed for good ones. The life that leads to death can be traded in for the way that leads to life. Why not become a new creature in Christ Jesus?

God made a Promise in Zechariah’s day. And He has kept it. Now, in the Gospel He offers you forgiveness and cleansing. Why not take them for the first time? And if you’ve taken them before, why not take them again?

The Love of God be with you. For Christ’s sake. Amen.