Zechariah 9:9-11 Behold Your King!

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Bridge Church plant in Hancock

Bridge Builders 10 am

Elders’ blessing to visit church plant. Consider joining the church

FYI they will livestream MEFC Easter sermon at their location.

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Speaking of Easter, Pastor Tom Loyola from Iowa will be our guest speaker next week for Easter. He will start his official role as our church interim pastor sometime in mid-May

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Today is Palm Sunday

The gospel of John 12:12 tells us that this is day when a large crowd went out to meet Jesus with palm branches as he entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey.

The crowds were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)

These are the words of an ancient song associated with the promised Messiah (Psalm 118:25-26). There was a sense of hope and expectation.

Palm branches had been one of the nationalistic symbols of Judea since the days of the Maccabees, [they] were consistently used to celebrate military victories and probably stirred some political messianic hopes among the people. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Jn 12:12–13.

For a 1st century Jew this meant everything. They were living under roman oppression. Jesus is their long awaited king who brings hope.

You don’t have to be a 1st century Jew to appreciate the need for hope. Everybody wants hope. Everybody needs hope.

Palm Sunday had huge implications for their lives then, but most importantly, Palm Sunday has life changing implications for our lives today.

What if I told you that the events of Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are the key to unlocking the door of hope in your life? This would change everything.

These events, including Palm Sunday has life changing events.

John 12:16 “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.”

At first they were confused. They were expecting a Deliverer King. A king who would set them free from physical oppression (Roman Oppression)

They did not understand that Jesus was going to be glorified through his crucifixion and resurrection.

There are over 300 prophecies about the Messiah in the OT. Let me take you to one of them. Palm Sunday is no accident.

Zechariah 9:9-13 “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. 13 For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword.”

The events of Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are the key to unlocking the door of hope in your life.

Let me show you how Jesus the King offers hope.

MAIN IDEA: Jesus the King is powerful to rescue the powerless out of the pit of their sin and circumstances.

Jesus the King offers the hope of freedom to those in a pit of hopelessness

Zechariah 9:11 “As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.”

The waterless pit is a powerful word picture.

Genesis 37:24 [description] “And they took [Joseph] and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.”

A waterless pit is an empty cistern used as a prison.

They are dark and hopeless (no way out)

Jesus the king offers the hope of freedom to those in a pit of hopelessness.

Isaiah 42:7 declares that the Messiah would come“to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” (c.f. Isaiah 61:1)

Our text in Zechariah 9:11 says, “I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit” because of the blood of my covenant. This is very helpful in understanding what I’m being saved from.

Notice the means of salvation. He sets the prisoners because of the blood of his covenant.

The phrase “the blood of the covenant” is a reference to an animal sacrifice in Exodus 24:8 in order to provide atonement and cleansing from sin.

The phrase “the blood of the covenant” appears again in the NT. Matthew 26:26 tells us that on the night when he was betrayed, Jesus took the cup, “and when he had given thanks he gave it to [his disciples], saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

My biggest need is for someone to deliver me from the waterless pit of sin!

Jesus said in John 8:32 “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

The religious people replied, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”” (John 8:33)

“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

My biggest need is for someone to deliver me from the waterless pit of sin!

Religious people don’t see a need for a savior. They have it all together.

Application: I need to be saved from myself, “abide in my word”

Jesus the King offers hope by giving you a new identity

Zechariah 9:12 “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope.

In the previous verse, the Prophet Zechariah called them prisoners of the waterless pit, but here in v.12 he calls them prisoners of hope. They sound like a contradiction.

It all depends on whose perspective we are talking about. Your’s or God’s?

The prophet Zechariah wrote to a group of deeply discouraged Jews who have yet to see all of GOd’s promises fulfilled.

It’s been about 20 years since the Jews returned from exile.

Their goal was to restore the city of Jerusalem but they only got as far as laying the foundation of the temple because of strong opposition.

They looked around and saw little evidence of the transformation that the prophets had anticipated. Under the circumstances, they concluded that theirs was a “day of small of things.” (Zechariah 4:10). Life felt like living in a waterless pit: dark and hopeless.

If you let your circumstances define you, you become a victim. “Woe is me. Nobody loves me. I’m a failure. I’m an addict. It’s always my fault. This is never going to change.”

On the other hand, if you let God define you, you become a prisoner of hope.

IN CHRIST, I am loved, I am chosen, I am not forsaken...

Hope is powerful. Hebrews 6:19, hope is an anchor of the soul. Biblical hope is a reality not a wish.

A prisoner of hope says, I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.

Jesus the King offers hope through his promise to restore to you double.

Zechariah 9:12 “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.”

NLT, I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles

God is very kind and generous with his people.

*The concept of double blessing has been abused by the name-it-and-claim-it preachers. But just because it’s been abused doesn’t mean we throw out the baby with the bathwater.

We need to take God at his word. Even though this promise was written for the Jews, I believe it also belongs to us.

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus].”

Can you imagine what our church would like if we took God at his Word and lived with the hope that God will restore to you double?

This year I got a glimpse of that hope.

I’m wearing these special coral pants. For the Franco family these pants are a symbol of hope.

Last year we had to send one of our daughters to Gateway Freedom Ranch in Montana. She needed healing from the pain stemming from adoption related issues.

These coral pants were given to GFR dads as a gag gift back in October at a parent workshop (yes, parents need work also)

We noticed a change in our daughter. Last march we had to pick her up from her program. GFR had to close (no one would sell the insurance). I told the parents and the staff at GFR that I would wear these pants next time I would preach.

She was home for a couple of weeks before she went somewhere else to finish her healing journey. We noticed more change in her.

I got a glimpse of hope and a glimpse of how the Lord can restore double. I got a preview of how God repays two blessings for each of our troubles.

Ari’s note

What would your life look like if you took God at his Word and lived with the hope that God will restore to you double?

Conclusion: Where do you start?

Zechariah 9:12 “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope.

The way out of the pit is by returning to Jesus your stronghold. The Hebrew verb “to return” implies repentance. Stop doing things your way. Turn to God your stronghold.

What is stopping you from returning to Jesus? Your pride? Your shame? You tried many things and nothing works?

Good news: Jesus himself went down to the pit of darkness in order to rescue you out of it.

MAIN IDEA: Jesus the King is powerful to rescue the powerless out of the pit of their sin and circumstances.