Zechariah
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If you have your Bible this morning, and I hope that you do, turn with me to the book of Zechariah. Zechariah. Easiest way is to find the beginning of the New Testament… the gospel of Matthew… and then turn backwards 2 books.
Oh boy… Is anyone familiar with the book of Zechariah? I admit that I was not. I have read it before… but I don’t think that much of it really sunk in. What a gem of Scripture Zechariah is. It’s strange… holy cow is it strange… but it’s an absolute gem.
The book is 14 chapters long… so obviously, we’re not going to hit every little bit of it this morning. Instead, we’ll be doing a high level overview, and just hitting a few of the main points of the book. So, let’s just set up the book very quickly. Some of this will be review… but just stick with me for a few minutes.
After the reign of King Solomon, the nation of Israel kind of imploded, and was separated into 2 different kingdoms. The northern kingdom, which retained the name Israel… and the southern kingdom, which was called Judah. For about 260 years, they were separated… and basically… for 260 years, the people lived in rebellion towards God.
And during that time period, if I remember correctly, God sent 9 prophets to speak to the people… and basically, their message was all the same… Return to the Lord. They spoke that message in different ways, addressing the specific issues that were being faced at the time… but the crux of the message was the same… Return to the Lord. Bad things are going to happen if you don’t return to the Lord.
Well… They didn’t listen. And so, in about 720 BC, the northern kingdom was wiped off the map by the Assyrians. With the northern kingdom gone, and the southern kingdom still existing… God now sends 3 prophets to the southern kingdom… over a period of approximately 135 years… Each one with the message… Return to the Lord. You saw what happened to the northern kingdom because they wouldn’t listen. What will you do? Will you return to the Lord southern kingdom? (SHAKE YOUR HEAD NO). They didn’t.
And so, now all of Israel is in Exile. For 70 years the people are in exile. And during those 70 years, God raises up 3 prophets to speak to the people. Jeremiah… who is still in Jerusalem… just watching it get utterly torn to the ground. Ezekiel and Daniel are carted away to Babylon… and so, when reading those books, you get a sense for how life was for Israel during the time of exile.
God doesn’t forget His people though… and they do get to go back home. And when they go home, we wind up with 7 more Old Testament books of the Bible… which we call post exilic books… post exile books… Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zecheriah, Malachi, and also… the Chronicles… which was a compilation of everything in Israel’s history up to the point that they returned to the land.
Now, specifically, for our purposes… going through the Minor Prophets… Haggai, Zecheriah, and Malachi have a message for the people from God. That message is still… Return to the Lord… but instead of a… bad things are going to happen if you don’t return to the Lord… this time it’s God saying… Can we not do this whole thing again? Have y’all learned yet? Return to Me so we can move forward.
Last week, we talked through Haggai… and we saw God saying through Haggai… listen… y’all have built your houses… you’re making them all nice and fancy… but what about the Temple? Can we not do this again people? Prioritize God and Build the Temple! Well, what I didn’t mention last week is that Haggai wasn’t alone in delivering that message from God. Zechariah was with him… speaking that same message the whole time.
So, the first part of the book of Zechariah is the same story that we went through last week… just from a different perspective… with a little different vantage point. So, let’s dive in… a get a broad, high-level overview of the message of Zechariah. Let’s begin with chapter 1, verse 1.
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:
Now… Before we go any further, there’s something we’ve got to know very quickly. Like a couple of the other prophets, the name Zechariah means something… and it tells us basically what the book is about. The name Zechariah means… God remembers. So, this message that Zechariah is giving the people is centered around the idea… God remembers.
Also, before we move on… just a little side note here… I’ve meant to say this several times as we’ve went through this series, and I just keep forgetting to. But… understand… that when the prophets are giving these messages… It’s really not much different from what we’re doing right now. The entire message of this book was given progressively through the years. The people didn’t get all of it at once. It came progressively through a span of years.
I think it’s important for us to realize that while we can read Zechariah’s prophecy from start to finish in an hour… it took them years to hear all of this. So, if you can… put yourselves in their shoes as they would’ve heard these messages from Zechariah. Let’s continue on, and see what God remembers. Verse 2…
“The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?
“Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ”
What does God remember? God remembers how their ancestors lived… and He’s not happy about how they lived, and where it got them. So… the message to these people is now… don’t do what your ancestors did. Can we not do all that again? You be different! Return to the Lord.
You see… the 1stprinciple that we see in these first few verses is this. God distanced Himself from their ancestors, because they distanced themselves from God… and from obedience to God. And so they’re given a promise in verse number 3… God says… Return to me… and what’s the result of that? I will return to you. Listen… God is absolutely FOR YOU… when you are right with Him.
God says… Your ancestors never figured this out… and what happened to them? Will you be different than your ancestors? Will you return to the Lord? And then I will return to you.
This is the same formula we see all throughout Scripture. Jeremiah 29 tells us the same thing. But it’s not just an Old Testament concept… James tells us the same thing in chapter 4, verse 8. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. *PAUSE*
Verse 6. We saw this last week in Haggai… remember, they’re both delivering a message to the people at the same time… How do the people respond to the message from Haggai and from Zecheriah? Verse 6…
But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?
“Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ ”
They repent. They say… we want God to be near to us… we don’t want to be like our ancestors… we’ve learned our lesson… We repent, we’ll draw near to God… and we’ll begin building the temple. Praise God Almighty! This is the dream and prayer of every minister, every evangelist, every pastor. That when the Word of God is proclaimed, the people listen… they hear the message… they take the message from God to heart… and they do something with it. They repent and follow God.
I’m trying to hurry here, because we still have several things to cover… Beginning in verse 7 of chapter 1… just being real and honest with you… things start to get very weird. All the way through chapter 6, Zechariah records some prophetic dreams that he was given.
Did you ever wake up from sleep… remember your dream… and think to yourself… what in the world did I smoke last night? Because what was going on in my head last night was flat out bizarre! That’s what we see from chapter 1, verse 7… all the way through chapter 6. We’re told what all these dreams mean… what they represent… and I encourage you to read through them when you can. Just understand it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. But then we come to chapter 7. In chapter 7, we’re faced with a pretty interesting question… Look at it with me in verse 2…
The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
So, what’s happening here is… under the old Temple, Israel had all these fasts and festivals. The festivals were pretty much celebratory… right? They were reminders of what God had done, or what He was going to do. But they also had all these fasts… these were reminders of terrible things that had happened in their history.
So, these men come to Zechariah and say… So, we’re building this new temple, right? Do we still need to fast in the fifth month like we did under the old temple? Do we continue to remind ourselves of those terrible things in our past?
Let me ask the question in our context. Before you met Christ… Who were you? What has God delivered you from? Alcoholism? Were you an abuser? Were you a cheat? Were you a liar? Were you a brawler? Were you someone that was promiscuous? What has God delivered you from?
Now that you’re thinking about what God has delivered you from… let me ask you… how often do you remind yourself of who you used to be? Do you ever dwell on the person you were before Christ? Or, do you just jettison your past… do you jettison your sinfulness and what it cost the Lord on the cross… to focus on grace and celebration?
There are people that do both… and here are the arguments. Well… If we don’t remind ourselves of our sinfulness, then I feel like I’m lessening the weightiness of my sin and the extremely high price that Jesus had to pay for my sin. So that’s why I remind myself of who I was… that’s why I remind myself of my sin.
Or the other argument… I don’t remind myself of my past sinfulness… I don’t dwell on that because Jesus was enough to pay for all of that. It’s over and it’s done with.
Both arguments have some merit. Don’t you think? In CR, when we introduce ourselves… we do it like this. Hi, my name is Joshua Kennon. I’m a grateful follower of Jesus Christ that struggles with Addiction, Anger, and feelings of Self-Worth. Is it wrong that we do that? Or should we do that? Should we keep recalling our disciplined weeping, or should we move on? Let’s look at God’s answer… Verse 4…
Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?
God says… You’re missing the point! The question is not… should we do this… the question is… who are you doing it for? The question we have to ask ourselves when we do anything religious is this… Am I doing this for God? Fasting is good… IF you’re doing it for God! Feasting is good… IF you’re doing it for God! Coming to church is good… IF you’re doing it for God! Reading your Bible is good… IF you’re doing it for God! Singing in worship is good… IF you’re doing it for God!
Listen… We can get caught up in the sadness or the celebration of an event… and it really has nothing to do with God. I am absolutely convinced that a lot out there that people call “worship” really isn’t worship. It’s nothing more than an emotional high brought about by incredible sounding music, or an incredibly moving presentation. Listen… that can happen at a Bon Jovi concert! An emotional stirring doesn’t mean that something is true worship. Don’t misunderstand me… I’m not saying that worship is emotionless… because it absolutely isn’t. But just because something is full of emotions, doesn’t mean it’s worship.
The things we do, have to be done for God. Not for ourselves. Not to earn favor from God. Not because that’s what we’ve always done. Not because the big church down the street is doing it. We do what we do for no other reason except for God.
God continues to answer the people. He says… if you want to move past the fasting… and move on to the celebrations… here’s what you do… Verse 8…
And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
What are those things? Those things are the fruit of a life that has truly been changed. By this all men shall know that you are my disciples… if you have love for one another. True religion that is undefiled is this… to care for widows and orphans in their time of need. God says… you want to move past the fast and remembering into the time of feasting and celebration… you have to have a heart that has truly been changed… that is truly following after me… and then you won’t need all those old reminders. God remembers those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
The rest of chapter 7… and moving into chapter 8… really is this idea that you do have a past… there is sin that God has forgiven you from… so you do have cause to rejoice. Look at verse number 3 of chapter 8…
This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”
Do you know what this passage reminds me of? It reminds me of Game 5 of the 2011 World Series. Come on now… Who remembers the 2011 World Series? Cardinals, Rangers. Any die hard Cards fans in the house? Well… for you Cards fans… I’ve got some really bad news for you. It’s so bad… I can’t even tell you… I’m just going to let you watch.
*VIDEO*
Ah man. Am I right Cardinals fans? Is this just not the worst? Doesn’t this depress you? Doesn’t this worry you that they lost game 5? No? It doesn’t? Why doesn’t this depress you? That’s right! I remember watching game 5 10 years ago… I was upset at the end of the game. Truly upset. But you know what… I can pull up game 5 on YouTube right now and watch it… I can watch Texas pull off those homers to tie the game… I can watch Texas score runs 3 and 4… and I can watch the Cards strike out time after time. I can watch them lose the game without getting upset at all now. Why? Because I know that at the end of the series… The Cards won it all… and I got the hat to prove it.
You want to know what God is trying to remind the people of here in chapter 8? He says… look… this is what things are going to be like… this is what I’m going to do in your lives. He’s reminding them… they can celebrate something that hasn’t even taken place yet… simply because God says it… because God promises it. And if God promises it… You might as well go ahead and mark it down as history… because whatever God says… will always take place. God remembers His promises.
Folks… Can I tell you… What God says is sure. You can take it to the bank. God’s Word of the future is just as sure as knowing that the Cards won the series back in 2011. Today… right now we can celebrate this…
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
That is just as sure as knowing that the Cards won the series in 2011. Why? Because God said so. You can go ahead and start celebrating right now! But this doesn’t mean you’ll have no problems… That’s why verse 9 says…
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty.
That’s why verse 13 says…
Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
Those of us who are in the promises of God… Listen very closely so you don’t miss this… Those of us who are in the promises of God… Through good times… through difficult times… we work FROM a position of victory… not for victory. We don’t have to work for victory… God’s already got the victory. And so, if we are His… we work from a position of victory. God remembers His promises.
Chapters 9 through 14 of Zecheriah explains where that victory comes from. Look at verse 9 of chapter 9…
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Does that sound familiar to you? Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12… They all tell the story of the very first Palm Sunday… as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey. Our victory comes from our humble King… who conquered death… who defeated our sin… and has won the victory for us. It is in Him… and Him alone that we can have victory! Draw near to Him… and He will draw near to you. If you are IN Christ Jesus… the victory is already yours. Go ahead and start celebrating… because it’s as good as done.
If you are in Christ Jesus, God will remember you. But if you are not in Christ Jesus… If you have not trusted in Jesus… If you have not drawn near to God… you will not be remembered on Judgment day.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”