Return

Return

Advent: Hope

Reading by Dana and Janet Price

Sermon Notes

“Return” / Zechariah 1-6

  • Review Restore: Worship
  • Question- They are restoring the temple. What can we learn as we look to God to restore our church? 
  • Ezra and we made it to chapter 5

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Ezra 5:1

Haggai

  • 1. Consider your ways (divine unfruitfulness)
  • 2. Repent 
  • 3. Build my house (build the church)
    • a. Upon the confession of Jesus as the Christ we build
    • b. As Christians it’s tied into our very identity 
    • c. Gifts given by the Spirit are to “restore the church” 

Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Eph. 2

  • Before Haggai says “Consider this day”  Read Haggai 2:18-19 
  • 24th day of the 9th month- Before that day we hear from Zechariah

Read Zech. 1:1-6, pray, be seated

“Return to God” 

  1. Return vs. 3
    1. Don’t repeat history vs. 4a
      1. Repentance for our fathers sins (Make distinction)
        1. What do we do? 
          1. Obedience to God’s word vs. 4-6

Vs. 6b “As the Lord of Hosts purposed… THEN the Lord says through Haggai, “I will bless you.” 

  • 9 visions with 4 main points about God and a promise. 
  • They are not linear but there is a pattern. From the outside in. 
    • Visions 1 & 8 God is Sovereign
    • Visions 2 & 7 God is Just
    • Visions 3 & 6 God Protects
    • Visions 4 & 5 God Provides
  1. Return to God because he is Sovereign. 

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines God’s Sovereignty as His “absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure.”

Visions 1 & 8 / Zech 1:7-17 & 6:1-8 

  • Horsemen patrolling the earth. Ton of symbolism! The colors of the horses, in chapter 6, the direction they go, we could spend weeks here, but that would be overlooking basic bible interpretation of our scripture. 
  • Who is writing, Zechariah. 
  • Who is he writing to? Those rebuilding the temple under possible distress. They were told to stop building and did for 10 years until Haggai spoke to the Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the people.  No they are building with possible repercussions from Persia. Put yourself in their shoes. 
  • Read 1:10-17  Return to God because he is Sovereign! Cry out! 
  • We will learn in 2 weeks as we finish Ezra 5 & 6 that the Persians sent a letter and impending doom could be headed their way. 
  • Read chapter 6:8.

2. Return to God because he is Just. 

  • Visions 2 & 7 are found in Zech 2:18-21 and 5:5-9
    • Horns are the nations that God has used to judge his people and now Persia, who is represented by the 4 craftsmen. 
    • Wait… Judge? Yes. Remember the main point- Return to God. 
    • Both visions give a warning to not be like their fathers. 
  • Read Zech 1:4 
  • Read 5:5-8 Sends them to Babylon 
    • There are no explicit commands here like “cry out” but it is a reminder that just because God is saving you, don’t stop “returning to God because he is Just.

3. Return to God because he Protects

  • Visions 3 & 6 are found in Zech 2:1-13 and 5:1-4
    • Read Zech 2:4-5
    • Remember, this is dependent on “return to me”.  
      • That as they walk in obedience to the word of the Lord he protects. We see this in Chp 5 as well, The response to his protection? 
    • Read verse 2:10-11
      • Restore: Worship is the larger context. 
    • Vision 6 speaks to the protection of God’s word within the community. 

D. Return to God because he Provides

  • Visions 4 & 5 are found next to each other
    • Vision #4 is found in Zech 3 and vision #5 is found in Chapter 4
      • Both these point to the coming Messiah. 
      • Could Joshua be the coming Messiah?
  • Read- 3:2
  • Read 3:4
    • vs. 6 “IF” vs. 8 “The Branch”
    • Could Zerubbabel be the coming Messiah? 
  • Read Chapter 4 vs. 6-7
  • Both of these say “look to God to provide Salvation

X. Return to God because he saves 

  • Read 6:12-13
  • The Messiah shall be a king and a priest? 
    • YES!  GOSPEL
  • King because he is Sovereign and Just and a Priest because he Protects and Provides and he is both because he saves. Obedience fulfilled! 

 

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