REJOICE

The Book of Zechariah #13

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

(Zechariah 9 NLT) This is the message from the Lord against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the Lord. Doom is certain for Hamath,near Damascus, and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, though they are so clever. Tyre has built a strong fortress and has made silver and gold as plentiful as dust in the streets! But now the Lord will strip away Tyre’s possessions and hurl its fortifications into the sea, and it will be burned to the ground. The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall and will be filled with fear. Gaza will shake with terror, as will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed. Gaza’s king will be killed, and Ashkelon will be deserted. Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. I will grab the bloody meat from their mouths and snatch the detestable sacrifices from their teeth. Then the surviving Philistines will worship our God and become like a clan in Judah. The Philistines of Ekron will join my people, as the ancient Jebusites once did. I will guard my Temple and protect it from invading armies. I am watching closely to ensure that no more foreign oppressors overrun my people’s land. Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt. I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow. Jerusalem is my sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks. The Lord will appear above his people; his arrows will fly like lightning! The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert. 15The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will protect his people, and they will defeat their enemies by hurling great stones. They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine. They will be filled with blood like a bowl, drenched with blood like the corners of the altar. On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How wonderful and beautiful they will be! The young men will thrive on abundant grain, and the young women will flourish on new wine.

1.  JESUS IS KING

(Zechariah 9:9, NLT) “Look, your king is coming to you.”

a.  Jesus is the King of all Authority.

(John 10:17–18, NLT) “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again.”

b.  Jesus is the King of Justice.

verse 9 “He is righteous…”

(2 Timothy 4:8, NLT) “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

c.  Jesus is the King of Salvation.

(Zechariah 9:9, ESV) “Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation …

(Matthew 1:21, NLT) “He will save his people from their sins.”

(Romans 3:26, NLT) “He makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”

d.  Jesus is the King of Humility.

verse 9 “…he is humble…”

(Philippians 2:5–8, NLT) “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

“Happy are these his subjects who dwell under his shadow. He rules them, not with that rod of iron by which he bruises and breaks the power of his enemies, but with his golden scepter of love. He reigns by his own right, and by their full and free consent, in their hearts. He reigns upon a throne of grace, to which they have at all times access; and from whence they receive, in answer to their prayers, mercy and peace, the pardon of all their sins, grace to help in every time of need, and a renewed supply answerable to all their wants, cares, services and conflicts.” – John Newton

e.  Jesus is the King of Creation.

(Deuteronomy 21:3, NLT) “When the nearest town has been determined, that town’s elders must select from the herd a heifer that has never been trained or yoked to a plow.”

2.  JESUS IS COMING TO REIGN.

(Zechariah 9:10, NLT) “I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.”

(Matthew 24:30, NLT) “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

(Revelation 19:15, NLT) “He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.”

3.  REJOICE JESUS IS COMING.

(Zechariah 9:9, NLT) “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.”

(Luke 21:28, NLT) “So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

GROWTHWORK

1.  LIVE IN HOPE OUT OF CHRIST’S WORK IN THE PAST.

2.  LIVE IN HOPE OUT OF CHRIST’S WORK IN THE PRESENT.

3.  LIVE IN HOPE IN LIGHT OF THE FUTURE RETURN OF CHRIST.