Read the word.
Teach the word.
Preach the word.
- 1 Timothy 4:13
If you ever wanted proof of the existence of God, consider the peculiar prophecies in Zechariah 10—and many more throughout scripture!
The Jewish people were scattered to the four corners of the earth for almost 1,900 years. They lived in almost every single country, and yet they retained their national identity, religion, language, culture, and cuisine. Then on May 14th, 1948, the nation of Israel became a nation again in a single day. Since then, they have regathered in the Promised Land a second time in anticipation of the second coming of Messiah Jesus. How exciting it is to see this come to pass before our very eyes! We are living in a time the Bible speaks of more than just about any other. And yet, just like many, many other times in Israel’s history, the days in which we live are dark—which is an excellent opportunity for us to be “prisoners of hope” (Zechariah 9:12). We know that no matter how dark it gets on this earth, our King is still coming! Based on these peculiar prophecies of the miraculous regathering of Israel into the Promised Land a second time, we know that His second coming is right around the corner—closer than it has ever been!
Zechariah 10 contains some very unique promises concerning the Promised Land. Even after the Jewish remnant returned following the Babylonian captivity, God would scatter, then regather His people to the Promised Land a second time in anticipation of the second coming of the Messiah.
Scripture is full of peculiar promises of God’s people being regathered a second time. God’s word is sure—His promises are secure. And we’re seeing these prophecies fulfilled as recently as 1948, when the nation of Israel became a nation again in only one day. Watch our study of Zechariah 10 as we consider the faithfulness of God to fulfill His promises.
The Corinthian church was puffed up with pride in their knowledge about God. Eventually that process led to internal spiritual rot. They were seeking to one-up each other in their knowledge about God instead of seeking to be known by God and seeing themselves as stewards of God. So in his letter to them, Pastor Paul addressed these issues, encouraging them to purge out the old leaven—that which was causing them to be puffed up.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” –Zechariah 9:9 Some 550 years in advance, the prophet Zechariah was given a vision of the triumphal entry of the Messiah—The King of kings— into Jerusalem. He is the most powerful ruler ever, with more military might at His disposal than we could ever imagine or attempt to describe. And yet, we read that His coming to Jerusalem will be lowly and on a baby donkey. This was His choice—to humble Himself and to be meek and lowly. And in one week’s time, He would offer Himself in the same way to save humanity from sin. So many leaders have come and gone, then have been forgotten because they led with ruthless brilliance or vile violence. And yet, Jesus of Nazareth chose to be meek and lowly. He chose to be the suffering servant. He has captivated the hearts of His followers, not by overwhelming them, but by sacrificially serving them and sacrificing Himself to save them. This is why we follow King Jesus, who has captivated our hearts and lives by choosing to lay down His own.
In Zechariah 9, we read about three future kings who will enter the city of Jerusalem at different times. God provides Zechariah prophetic details about these three kings so we can see the differences in how they triumphantly entered Jerusalem.
The first king is Alexander the Great—brilliant and ruthless. The second king is Antiochus Epiphanies—vile and violent. The third king is unlike the first two. He is meek and lowly, yet He is the most important king of all—one whose reign will never end. Watch our study of Zechariah 9 as we consider these three kings and how they each chose different ways to enter the city of Jerusalem. “Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.” –Zechariah 8:13 God is a person. He is not a formula, or a plan, or a robot. He is not a religion. In fact, rote religion is not only repulsive to Him—it breaks His heart. Rote religion is the shallow, half-hearted plan to pacify God. We will do more out of a genuine heartfelt response to God’s grace, goodness, and love for us than what we are required to do by people’s plan to pacify God. Has your heart been completely captivated by God’s grace? Receive the encouragement in Zechariah 8—do not fear, let your hands be strong. God will return and restore, just as He promised. God will give you strength to endure, just as He promised. He will turn your fasting into His feasting. Are you relying on religion to earn your salvation? Respond to God’s grace with a thankful heart and turn to Him—He wants to have a relationship with you! Ask Him to remove all self-appointed, self-indulgent, and self-pity and replace it with the pure joy that comes from being in a real loving relationship with Him.
When Pastor Paul heard that the church in Corinth was being dismissive and disrespectful to leadership, he wrote to them to address the issues that needed correcting. He did this not because he took delight in finding faults, but because he was accountable to God as a steward for the health of this church.
Yes, Paul was a servant—an errand boy for Jesus. But he was also a steward—responsible for something that wasn’t his (the church in Corinth). Like Paul, God has called us to be servants and has asked us to be His stewards of the things He has entrusted to our care. Here are some questions to think about as you meditate on your role as servant and steward in the areas God has called you to: 1. What has been entrusted to your care? 2. Who entrusted it to you? 3. Who are you accountable to? 4. What does it mean to be found faithful? 5. Why is it so important to be a servant-leader? 6. How are humility and honesty connected? 7. How can you serve Christ AND submit to others? “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
–Hosea 6:6 The Lord’s desire is for us to show love, not offer sacrifices. God would rather have right hearts, full of truth and mercy than sacrifice. It repulses God when religious experts—those who know a lot about God—go through the motions of serving God with impenitent hearts towards God. No amount of religious razzle-dazzle on the outside could ever make up for the lack of reality on the inside. God desires mercy, not the sacrifices to cover sin without ever feeling sorry for or repenting of sin. You can know a lot about the Lord and entirely miss knowing Him. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day demonstrated that. They knew a lot about God—but they missed the heart of God and focused on the wrong and superficial things. Loving your neighbor and genuinely knowing the Lord is more important to Him than knowing a lot about Him and treating others poorly. In light of this, can learn from the experience of those who are written about in Zechariah and heed the word of the Lord given to them: “Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.” –Zechariah 7:9-10
While in captivity in Babylon, the Jews continued to fast in the fifth month over the destruction of the temple. Now that a new temple was being built, a delegation returned to Jerusalem to ask the priests if they should continue a religious ritual they had instituted for the past 70 years.
But they were missing the bigger point. So the word of the Lord came to Zechariah. The Lord had a question for them—when you fasted, did you really fast for Me? The focus they had on what they thought they should do revealed their impenitent hearts that no longer felt shame or regret about their actions or attitudes. Watch our study of Zechariah 7 as we reviewed and reflected on God’s word. No matter how bad this world gets, our King is coming. His kingdom will come and His will WILL be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus is coming again! King Jesus—fully man and fully God—who saved us from our sin by becoming an offering for sin. This is the message that God has woven all throughout the Bible. And it’s the message that the world needs to hear. Jesus can save you from your sin right now if you will turn away from sin, look to Him, and trust Him today!
In Zechariah 6, we read of two more visions Zechariah experienced. In these visions, Zechariah was shown not only the spiritual reality behind what was happening in his day and age, but he was also shown the spiritual reality of events far in the future.
Events like the time of tribulation that falls upon the whole world immediately before the second coming of Jesus Christ to rule and reign as king. Though things today seem bleak, we can still have hope. Watch our study of Zechariah 6 as we remember that no matter how bad things get, our King is still coming! “What do you see?”
Zechariah was asked this question in his sixth vision. And what he saw was…a 15’ x 30’ flying scroll. It’s important to remember that these visions were physical pictures that communicated spiritual truth. The angel explained the spiritual truth in this vision: the scroll represents the curse that goes out over all the earth. This curse has consequences—corruption and destruction because of sin. But this curse has been broken! Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” In John 3, Jesus points to a physical picture to understand this spiritual truth. There was a time when deadly snakes invaded the camp of the Israelites in the wilderness. Moses pleaded with the Lord to do something and the Lord commanded him to make a bronze serpent, to put it on a pole, and to lift it up. Anyone who was bit by a snake and looked to the bronze serpent would live. Jesus explained that this physical picture has a spiritual truth. Bronze is a symbol of judgment and the serpent is a symbol of sin. Lifting it on a pole is a picture of sin being judged for all to look to and live. On the cross, Jesus became a curse for us—He became sin so we could become the righteousness of God. All who look to Jesus will be saved—He has rescued us from the curse by becoming cursed for us!
“What do you see?”
This is the question Zechariah is asked at the beginning of his sixth vision as recorded in Zechariah chapter 5. Each vision that Zechariah experienced was a peek behind the scenes to the spiritual reality, beyond what can be seen with physical sight. The sixth and seventh visions Zechariah experienced are no exceptions. And what Zechariah saw was…a giant flying scroll and a woman in a basket. As strange as that seems, God used these physical pictures to communicate spiritual truths. Watch our study of Zechariah 5 as we consider the meaning and significance of these visions. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
–Zechariah 4:6 God’s work can only be done God’s way. It’s not enough to rely on God’s resources. We must also reject what resources we think we bring to the table. No amount of human might, power, intellect, or ingenuity can accomplish God’s agenda. The Apostle Paul learned this the hard way. There was perhaps no one with more might or power than Saul (meaning “desired one”) before he became Paul (meaning “little one”). Saul didn’t change his name immediately after getting saved. He had to go through years of heavy humbling before he eventually became Paul. Just like Paul, we need to learn how to be completely reliant on God’s resources while simultaneously rejecting man’s resources (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). When all of your effort and ingenuity only seem to make the problems you face problem worse, remember that it’s not by might or by power, but by God’s Spirit that God’s work is accomplished. God may just be trying to lead you to the end of your resources and the beginning of His as you rely only on His Holy Spirit.
Have you ever faced a mountain of a problem with no success that you’ve felt like a failure? Maybe you’ve tried everything to solve it—all of your might, power, and strength—but that mountain of a problem stubbornly remains. And all of your effort and ingenuity only seem to make the problem worse.
But when you come to the end of your limited human might, power, intellect, and ingenuity and begin to rely solely upon God’s Holy Spirit and God’s grace that the mountain of a problem miraculously begins to move. This was God’s encouragement to Zerubabbel in Zechariah 4. God is graciously willing to help when we truly humble ourselves and admit that God’s work must be done in God’s way—not by our might or by our power. Imagine the courtroom scene that young Zechariah saw in Zechariah 3. The Angel of the Lord is the judge. Joshua, the high priest, is the defendant. Standing to Joshua’s right is Satan, the accuser, acting as prosecutor.
Satan didn’t need to lie to the judge about what Joshua had done. He just needed to point and say, “He is guilty—You know it, I know it, he knows it. Guilty!” And yet, the Lord chose Joshua, just as the Lord chose Jerusalem, just as the Lord chose Israel, just as the Lord chose you. His choice didn’t have anything to do with your self-righteousness. It had to do with His goodness. He sees you and Satan standing next to you to accuse you. He knows that He has every right and every reason to reject you. But He chooses to do with you what He chose to do with Joshua: “Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him, He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”” (Zechariah 3:4) He chooses to do this even though He has every right and reason to reject you because of the stains of your sin. It is not by anything we are capable of, but only by Him and His sacrifice is it possible for us to be forgiven and completely cleansed from all unrighteousness. O Christ, I lift mine eyes; your love for me I own; in your great sacrifice remains my hope alone; the robe is mine, my soul to dress, of everlasting righteousness.
Why was Paul so concerned about believers in Corinth being less Corinthian and more Christian? Listen to our study from yesterday evening as we considered what it means to take off our former way of life and to put on the new self—created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
In Zechariah 3, we read about the fourth vision of young Zechariah. In this vision, he saw the spiritual reality behind what everyone else saw with their physical eyes.
What Zechariah saw was Joshua, the high priest, on trial before God Almighty. His adversary, named Satan, was accusing him, but Joshua had an advocate. Who was this advocate? And would Joshua be found guilty or innocent? Watch our study of Zechariah 3 as we considered this courtroom scene—and the applications we find in it for us today.
The Apostle Paul wrote letters to the church in Corinth to correct their behavior. They were now citizens of a different city with a new loyalty and identity.
As believers in Jesus, they were no longer to behave as Corinthians, who promoted factions, divisions, and contentions and attempted to impress others with intellect, oratory mastery, and wise-sounding words. But the way of Jesus is different. The Christian way is earning respect through quiet faith, others-centered service, and trusting the power of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 1:14-31, we considered Paul’s desire to simply tell others about the cross of Christ through quiet, consistent, and humble sacrificial service. God encouraged the discouraged remnant in half-built Jerusalem with these words: “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,” says the Lord, “will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.” (Zechariah 2:4-5)
“Really?” the people must have thought. “This is the future glory of this city? This is what will be far in the future as a direct result of our courageous faithfulness right here and right now? Really?” Yes, really! It may have been difficult for them to imagine things different than how they saw it, but God’s word is true! This entire transformation began with believing God, obeying God, and moving in God’s direction. Like the remnant, we are prone to discouragement by the lack of progress we might see in our lives. Our lives may be busted up and broken down, dilapidated due to laziness and sin. But in Christ, you are holy. You are set apart for a specific good work. God wants the world to see the reality of His existence through His relationship with You. The watching world is reading your life and your relationship with God. So, with courageous faithfulness, place what you have into the hands of Jesus—then watch what He can do! He may even give you a glimpse of the future glory that will come from your small act of obedience right here and right now. Join us on Wednesday nights for an additional opportunity of worship and fellowship at 6:30pm as we study the book of 1 Corinthians. There will also be opportunities for ministry to kids (ages 2-11) and youth (ages 12-12th grade) during our gatherings from 6:30-8pm. Youth & kids are encouraged to bring their Bibles!
We hope you can join us Wednesdays at 6:30pm at 912 W St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN |
From Pastor Dom...When I first gave my life to Jesus, there were friends in my life who helped me to grow in my understanding of God, through His word, and for those friends Archives
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Strengthened by grace is the Bible Teaching ministry of Pastor Dominic Dinger.©2022 - All rights reserved.
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