YET
One word, punctuation, or letter can completely change the meaning of something you’re saying. One punctuation mark can make all the difference.
Let’s eat, grandma. VS. Let’s eat grandma.
A woman: without her, man would be lost. VS. A woman without her man would be lost.
Commas save lives! One small thing makes a BIG difference.
Today, we’re going to see that one word can make all the difference – YET.
Turn with me to Zechariah 8 (It’s the next to last book of the Old Testament.)
As you’re turning there, let me give you a little background information to what we’re going to read.
We must trust God when we face discouragement.
This is taking place around 20 years after the Babylonian exile (538 BC). The temple of God had been destroyed about 50 years earlier (in 586 BC). Discouragement surrounded God’s people, replacing their previous enthusiasm. They were seeking to rebuild the temple and had the foundations laid, but they were facing severe opposition to it, which prevented them from doing anything else to rebuild the temple.
The city of Jerusalem was still only partially rebuilt and was on the sidelines of world significance. Under the circumstances, it was easy for the people to conclude that theirs was a “day of small things” (4:10) in which God was absent from his people. Because of this, faithful obedience was viewed by many as useless: it made more sense to pursue the best life possible in spite of their current difficulties.
So, life stunk. God had promised deliverance and that they would be a mighty nation, but that seemed the farthest thing from the truth, so they lived discouraged and didn’t live for God, because what’s the use if He doesn’t care and doesn’t keep His promises?
Do you ever get your hopes up? That means you have hope in a situation, then it all falls apart.
Proverbs 13:12 – “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Many people would rather not hope at all rather than have their hopes dashed. We don’t tell our kids when we are going to do something, because if it doesn’t end up happening, it’s then end of the world. They get their hopes up.
This morning, through this one word, yet, we will, in a way, make a case for godly optimism.
And that’s what we come to in our text. It is Zechariah 8:1-8, 11-13, 20-23
1 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts? 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”…
11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts. 12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. 13 And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”…
20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
Wow! These are awesome promises! They are discouraged because they are lowly and God says I will lift you up! They are hurting individually and as a nation and God says I will heal you! They are poor and have so many needs and God says I will provide for you! They are lonely – there’s nobody at this once important and inhabited city and God says I will send people!
Surely this would lift their spirits! Right? But what are promises when God has promised from times of old that He would do this and they’re still not delivered? We often get so caught up in our storms that any hope just seems fake. But in those times, we must remember who is in control. We must remember who is good. We must remember who truly loves. We must trust God in the YET.
Look at verse 20…”Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come…” This allows us to have godly optimism no matter what we face.
We must trust God’s plans.
God’s people, in their bleak, lowly, depressing situation…who know the promises of God for them that they are to be a great and mighty nation, say, “Many people have not come!” But God says, “YET.” “Peoples shall yet come.”
God often has future plans that we can’t see at the moment. You can see this ALL throughout scripture. I’m reminded of Abraham and Sarai when they are told they will have a child, and they laughed (and ended up naming their child laughter). I’m reminded of Joshua when God told him to march around a fortified city instead of mounting an attack, and God ended up giving them the city, because they did it God’s way. I’m reminded of Gideon when an angel calls him a mighty man of valor while he is hiding away from the Midianites. And God ended up using him mightily. Each one of these trusted God even when they couldn’t see the fulfillment of what God was saying.
This year, God intends to do amazing things that we cannot see or imagine…in you and through you. The Israelites couldn’t see what was happening…they could only see the current situation, but through it all, God was working something beyond their imagination…God was working in the YET. Though they couldn’t see it, His promises were as good as done.
We must trust God’s timing and provision.
The story doesn’t end here in Zechariah. The Israelites had one thing in mind (riches, power, ruling and reigning, freedom from captives) and God had something even greater in mind (greater riches, greater power, greater ruling and reigning, greater freedom from captives). And, we see that in another YET.
Here’s something about God’s provision. Did you know God wants you to prosper? God wants you to be rich. God wants you to have abundance. Here’s the deal, though. He seeks to bring you a prosperity the richest people in the world can’t buy. He seeks to bring you prosperity of soul.
Turn to the book of John, in the New Testament. God ultimately answers all of His promises through Jesus.
John 7:6, 8, 30, 39; 8:20
6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.
8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”
30 So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
8:20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
God gives us exactly what we need. Jesus’ time had not YET come. But, we know that Jesus’ time did eventually come. He knew it would come, that’s why He said YET. He knew why He was coming, and He knew when He was coming. God is never late.
Galatians 4:4-5 – 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Romans 5:6, 8 – For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
You may be where the Israelites were. You are God’s child. But, you feel like He is distant…like He doesn’t care. You may feel like you can never overcome the sin that you keep going back to, like you’ll never be delivered. You may feel alone…like nobody cares. You may feel like life is going well…you’re living life like everyone says you’re supposed to, but you feel empty…like there’s something more. Something riches can’t buy.
Your time has not YET come, but listen…it’s coming. If you trust and follow Jesus…it’s coming.
Matthew 24:6 & Mark 13:7 tell us that, “And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.”
There is yet time for God to mold you and use you. The end is not yet. It may be close. It is imminent. But it’s not yet.
We still have to live this life here on earth, and it stinks sometimes, but our time is not yet, and God is never late. If you are in Christ, if you have a relationship with Him, rest in the YET, because you know He has it under control. If you are not in Christ, take the verses we just read as a warning…you still have time…the end is not yet, but it’s coming…there is hope in the YET. There is hope for you.
So I want to leave you with this challenge…live in the YET…live with hope…with trusting God…live in the YET
I have not read through the entire Bible…yet.
I have not had a healthy relationship…yet.
I have not led someone to Christ…yet.
I have not had a good prayer life…yet.
I have not had a consistent quiet time…yet.
I have not resisted temptation…yet
I have not been saved…yet..
I have not been baptized…yet.
I have not trusted God is all circumstances…yet.
I have not been active in the church…yet.
I have not joined the church…yet.
I have not stepped up to be a leader…yet.
I have not fully given myself to Jesus who died in my place…yet.
Grab a connection card from the pew in front of you. Write down your name and the name of someone you know who doesn’t know Jesus or isn’t active in the church/their faith. I want to pray for them with you and seek to share Christ with them this year.
