A MESSAGE FOR ALL TIME

The Book of Zechariah #9

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

God gave us prophecy to encourage, inspire, inform, and build our faith.

1. THE VISION OF WAR CHARIOTS – GOD WILL JUDGE THE NATIONS.

(Zechariah 6:1–8, ESV) “Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.”

a. Bronze is a symbol of judgment.

i. The bronze serpent for bearing Israel’s judgment.

ii. The bronze basin for cleansing.

iii. The bronze altar for sacrifice.

b. God’s judgment of His enemies brings His people comfort.

(Romans 12:19, NLT) “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.”

c. God’s judgment is terrifying to those who do not know Him.

(Revelation 6:15–16, NLT) “Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.”

(Matthew 12:36, NLT) “And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.”

2. GOD WILL SEND THE MESSIAH.

(Zechariah 6:9–15, ESV) “And the word of the Lord came to me: “Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’ And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

(Zechariah 3:8, ESV) “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.”

a. Jesus Christ will be both King and Priest. God is both just and compassionate.

(Psalm 110:2, 4, NLT) “The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies. …  The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

(Revelation 19:12a, NLT) “His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns.”

(Zechariah 6:12, ESV) “And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.”

(John 19:5, ESV) “So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

• Branch is a Messianic term symbolizing the humbleness of Jesus’ birth.

(Jeremiah 23:5, ESV) “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

(Isaiah 11:1, ESV) “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”

(Jeremiah 33:15 and Isaiah 53:2)

(Zechariah 6:13, NLT) “He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.”

(Hebrews 2:17, NLT) (Hebrews 7:27; 10:12-13) “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.”

• Shalom comes from knowing Jesus as your Priestly King.

b. Christ will build His temple. God dwells with us.

(Zechariah 6:13, NLT) “Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord.”

(Matthew 16:18, NLT)  “…I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

(Ephesians 2:21, NLT) “We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.”

(Isaiah 2:2–4, NLT) “In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.”

c. Christ will be worshipped by all nations.

(Zechariah 6:15, ESV) “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

(Isaiah 60:3, NLT) “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.”

(Revelation 7:9–10, NLT) “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every\ nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

3. WE MUST BE DILIGENT IN OUR OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST.

(Zechariah 6:15, ESV) “And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

(Matthew 6:33, NLT) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

(Matthew 28:19–20, NLT) “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”