Zechariah 1:1-8
Zechariah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Zechariah. Chapter 1: 1-8 Main points: Return to God, Wrath of God, Word of God.
Intro: Why do we study the bible PPT x 2 2. Tim 3:16-17 and John 5:39 – What is the bible? Because it is about Jesus, and all of it points to him.
Why books of the bible? We have experienced that it gives people a better understanding of Scripture to preach books. (Hebrews example Emilia). Contexts and how all of it fits together.
Then why Zechariah, in the leadership team we talk and pray about what books to do, and see what comes up. We have done Job, Joy series Job, Galatians, Acts, Matthew, 1. John, And Joseph asked, what about Zechariah. Now we are here, it is a new chance to get to know God better and see how the Scriptures point to Jesus.
“New Testament writers were quite fond of this book. It is quoted in Revelation the most after Ezekiel. It is the most frequently quoted prophetic book by the Gospel writers with regard to the Passion or Suffering of Jesus.” William J. Bryan Olt Testament III
His name means: “Yahweh remembers” a common name.
PPT Timeline overview: Short recap of the people of Gods history. God choses Abram- that turns in to Abraham, Issac, Jakcob, Moses, Jousha, judges, kings, - split of the kingdom, Israel in the north, Juda in the south, - Israel is taken in to Exil first and later also Juda, is taken in to exile, - then King of Persia Darious, lets the people of God go back to rebuild the temple for God in Jerusalem, and this is where we inter the story, work has started on the temple, there are enemies that stop the building
Zoom in timeline Zachariah.
Main points: Repentance is good, Gods wrath is good, The word of God is good.
Gods massage by Zechariah is Return to me, and I will return to you…
Let’s read: Zachariah 1:1-6.
What is the word of the Lord that comes to Zechariah? – son of a Prist Iddo. Verse 2.
The Lord of hosts was very angry with your fathers. – Oh no, what will God do? Verse 3 This is what the Lord of hosts (commander of heaven’s army PPT) declares: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, the call to return… then God gives a great promise, that He will return to them.
Oh, this is not the first time God calls on the people of God to repent, and return to him, but He was ignored, and jugged the people and sent them in to exile. That is what God addresses in verse 4, don’t be like the generation before you, that got warnings from the prophets, that also called the people back from their evil ways and deeds. And they did not return, but instead continued in evil.
God then asks the chilling question where are your fathers? And the prophets? Are they living? 4ever?
God answers the question I verse 6 What I said by my prophets and what I commanded happened. In exiled the people repented and recalled what God said he would do was happening to them. And understood that God delt with them the way the prophets had spoken he would, because of ways and deeds. They had lived in evil and God carried out the judgment. And they died in exile away from the land of promise and God had departed from his temple (Ezekiel 10:4), and let it be destroyed. And let enemies take away people from the land. Were all Gods people destroyed? No, now God had used a pagan king to send back people to rebuild the temple. And God again spoke to his people, jet again a call to return to God. And God would return to them. Great grace.
Okay, main points, God was very angry and caried out his judgment on the people and now he calls for the people to return to God. (Not just behavior but worship and relationship).
Okay great we read some history about God and his people, what does that have to do with us that live 3000 years later?
Great question. God is always the same, and does not change, so we can learn about Who God is and how he relates to His people.
We can look at the people and observe how they respond to God’s call, by his prophets.
And one thing about prophets, - the main massage is return to God. Stop oppressing the poor, weak, the alien, live justly, show who God is by your life live in unbroken relationship with God. Sometimes people get so occupied with what the prophets say about the future that they forget to read what they say about living right now…
It is always too easy for us to look to all the passages in scripture we don’t understand, and go well I don’t understand that, so I guess I don’t have to obey that… The passages in the bible that are hard to understand are not the point in your life, it is all the passages that you easily understand, Love the Lord you God with all your heart mind and strength, and you neighbor as you self, love you enemies, it is better to give that receive, do not worry about tomorrow, I am the way truth and the life. And in the text today,
It is very easy for all to understand return to me… And I will retune to you… But to we do that?
Next part God was extremely angry… What? Can God do that, will some say. Is that okay for God.
Yes, or God would be evil, if God did not hate and get extremely angry and sin and rebellion against him, idol worship, fake worship, making up new things, oppressing the poor, the weak, the alien, that has to make a good God angry. And it did, then and it does now… But God is only angry in the OT… No, God does not change, sin and evil still makes God angry, and that is good. That is just… and right. Even the fathers in exile acknowledged that, as they repented, and understood that God was judging them as he said he would, God’s word comes to pass. (Another truth). [The view that God is angry only in the OT, comes out of a lack of knowledge of the bible, and a misunderstand of why God is angry, and as I was reminded in this text, that when God is angry, there is an change to experience the grace of God, return and I will return to you, Gods ager is good and shows his love and a way of grace, if we return, Repentens is a good it brings us close to God, and restores relationship, shoeing we frust God and not idols – ourself. ]
So, the good news is that God is very angry at sin, - yes that is good news…
What do we see God does? He speaks by his prophet and calls the people to return to him the Lord og hosts, a call to repent and return, and the beauty of it is what God will do, I will return to you, say the Lord of hosts. Why would a very angry God, call people back to himself? Mercy, Grace, promise, what an amazing God. God is also server as the rest of the passage talks about what will happen if they don’t return. Judgment and death away from the land of promise the presence of God. Sound family?
Then the call of God to his people is not one of returning from exile, it is a call to return from sin and evil, and to the living God the Lord of Hosts.
Like the people in Zecharia, we can physically go to worship services, we can say we are Christians, but God knows our hearts, when God calls us to return to Lord of hosts, it is not for us to outwardly conforme and obey rugles, no it is to return with all of our heart mind and soul, and pout our hope faith and trust in God alone, not because of rules and regulations but because God called us to himself.
But you just said it is good that God is angry with sin, and I am a sinner so he is angry with me how can I come to God. Great question. How? What did the text say? Return to me… And I will retune to you. All have gone astray… God is calling people to Himself.
Yes, but that was for the Jews, well yes and no, Gods call to people has always been for all people. The people of God the Jews wase to be a light to all the other nations, that they would see God. (Now most of the time the failed). But the promise to Abraham in you all the people will be blessed, all the people will praise God psalms, Adam Eve, Abraham promise.
The word of God, it does want is said… it happens… it comes to pass, - for us we can trust the word of God the bible God will do what he has spoken, - and we see and saw it, most of the whole OT tells about the savior, the king the one that will restore, and make whole, and that came true in Jesus.
Retune to God, to know him trust in Jesus, to see him,
The warmth of God, is taken away but Jesus life death, resurrection, - grace.
The word of God comes true, - it doses not matter if we feel like this or that God will accomplice his plan, and that is great, because God does not change like the wind or what is popular, no his word last forever, like Jesus said about his teaching, the word stands forever, what joy, we can live in Jesus and know, that God will do all that was spoken. To his glory and for our God, God invites us in to grace, and shows us that he is kind slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, Do we enjoy God, do we worship Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirt?