ZECHARIAH’S ILLUSTRATED SERMON

The Book of Zechariah #15

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

1. GOD ANNOUNCES JUDGMENT.

(Zechariah 11:1–3, NLT) “Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedar forests. Weep, you cypress trees, for all the ruined cedars; the most majestic ones have fallen. Weep, you oaks of Bashan, for the thick forests have been cut down. Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their rich pastures are destroyed. Hear the young lions roaring, for their thickets in the Jordan Valley are ruined.”

2. GO TELLS ZECHARIAH TO ACT OUT PROPHETICALLY THE MESSAGE.

(Zechariah 11:4–16, NLT) “This is what the Lord my God says: “Go and care for the flock that is intended for slaughter. The buyers slaughter their sheep without remorse. The sellers say, ‘Praise the Lord! Now I’m rich!’ Even the shepherds have no compassion for them. … Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” says the Lord. “I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.” So I cared for the flock intended for slaughter—the flock that was oppressed. … Then I took two shepherd’s staffs and named one Favor and the other Union. I got rid of their three evil shepherds in a single month. But I became impatient with these sheep, and they hated me, too. So I told them, “I won’t be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And let those who remain devour each other!” Then I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, showing that I had revoked the covenant I had made with all the nations. That was the end of my covenant with them. The suffering flock was watching me, and they knew that the Lord was speaking through my actions. … And I said to them, “If you like, give me my wages, whatever I am worth; but only if you want to.” So they counted out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. … And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent sum at which they valued me! So I took the thirty coins and threw them to the potter in the Temple of the Lord. Then I took my other staff, Union, and cut it in two, showing that the bond of unity between Judah and Israel was broken. Then the Lord said to me, “Go again and play the part of a worthless shepherd. This illustrates how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for those who are dying, nor look after the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves.”

(Zechariah 11:17, NLT) “What sorrow awaits this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye. His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind.”

3. REJECTING THE LORD IS A NATIONAL TRAGEDY.

(1 Thessalonians 2:15b–16, NLT) “They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.”

(Romans 1:18, NLT) “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

(Zechariah 11:6, NLT) “Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” says the Lord. “I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.”

4. TREASURE CHRIST SUPREMELY.

(Matthew 13:44, NLT) “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”

GROWTHWORK

1. REMEMBER WHY JESUS SUFFERED AND DIED.

2. JESUS BRINGS COMFORT AND DISCIPLINE TO US.

(John 10:14–15, NLT) “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”

3. BOLDLY EXPESS GOD’S LOVE, GRACE, AND ACCEPTANCE.

(Hebrews 4:14–16, NLT) “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.”

4. AS YOUR PASTOR, I ASK YOU TO FOLLOW ME AS I FOLLOW CHRIST.

(1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV) “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”