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- Minor Prophets, Part 11
- Zechariah 1:1-7:14
Introduction- Zechariah’s name means “whom the Lord remembers.” He is also mentioned in Ezra 5:1; 6:14.
- Zechariah was contemporary with Haggai. At this point in history, the people had returned from Babylonian captivity and built the foundation of the temple but gone no further. Zechariah’s mission was the same as Haggai – stir up the people to build for the Lord.
- The book was written about 520 B.C.
- Many of the prophecies in Zechariah seem to have dual fulfillments – one near term meaning and a second, longer term fulfillment in Christ. Many of the prophecies in the book are Messianic.
Zechariah’s message- Zechariah 1:1-6 – God had punished their fathers with Babylonian captivity. That should have been a lesson to them, as well as to us. Romans 15:4.
Eight VisionsZechariah 1:7-17
Zechariah 1:18-21
Zechariah 2:1-13 – God will rebuild Jerusalem as a town without walls.
Zechariah 2:4-5 – See II Corinthians 6:14-16
Zechariah 2:9-12 – See Hebrews 12:26-29
Zechariah 3:1-10 – Filthy garments are referring to the sins of the people. God would remove sin through Jesus.
Zechariah 4:1-14 – Zerubbabel would finish the temple, but by the spirit of God (Ezra 6:15).
Zechariah 5:1-11 – God would cut off sinners over the whole earth.
Zechariah 6:1-8 – God’s winds of judgment sent forth upon the people on Judgment Day (Jeremiah 49:36).
Joshua the priest- Zechariah 6:9-15 – Joshua was a type of Christ, who would sit on His throne as priest.
- Zechariah 7:1-14 – See Jeremiah 41:2; 52:6. Jews were fasting because of terrible events in their history, but these fasts were not commanded by God.
30 min - Singing
It’s very easy to mouth the words and let our minds wander!
Why do you sing?
The better we understand the purpose, the better our worship will be.
Examples of singing in the Bible:
Exodus 15:1-21 – Singing to praise God for deliverance.
Judges 5:1-31 – Singing to praise God for redemption from the Canaanite army.
II Samuel 22:1-51 – David sang to praise God for deliverance from his enemies.
I Chronicles 16:23-25
Psalms 13:6
Psalms 59:16-17
God’s design has always been for people to sing in praise for deliverance or salvation.
Romans 15:9-12
Ephesians 5:19-20
Colossians 3:15-16 – We should praise God for His salvation.
James 5:13 – It is natural to pray when afflicted. The Christian who is merry for his redemption will naturally sing praises.
30 min - Lessons from the Creation
Judges 2:7, 10-14 – Later generations of Israelites turned away from God because of lack of knowledge and teaching.
Genesis 1:1-31 – Creation
Genesis 1:29-30 – It seems that all animals (and man) were herbivorous at first.
Genesis 1:26 – Man was to have dominion over the animals.
God created by speaking, showing His authority.
Revelation 4:11 – God is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.
Isaiah 45:5-7 – There is no one like God!
Isaiah 45:9-13 – God has authority over what He has created. (This is prophecy of Cyrus allowing the people to return and rebuild.)
Isaiah 42:5, 1-4, 6-9
I Timothy 4:4-5 – We should receive God’s blessings with gratitude.
Colossians 1:15-18 – The creation teaches us about Christ and the church.
Things we can learn:
Acts 17:24-27, 30 – We should seek God!
Malachi 2:10 – We are all family. There is one race!
30 min - What Does the Lord’s Supper Mean to You?Passages concerning the Lord’s Supper:
- Matthew 26:26-29
- Mark 14:22-25
- Luke 22:19-20
- I Corinthians 10:16; 11:23-29
- Acts 20:7
The Lord’s Supper means to the Christian:That he is having fellowship with Jesus’ body and blood.
It proclaims:
… that Jesus was alive.
… that Jesus died.
… His coming.
… that we are in the kingdom now.
- Note: Pre-millenialists can’t take the Lord’s Supper and be consistent with their beliefs.
… that we are under the New Covenant.
… our faith and love for Him.
It is a memorial of His death and promise to come again.
Jeremiah 2:32
We take the supper on the first day of the week to remember Him all week long.
An anticipation
- I Corinthians 11:26
How should we partake?- Acts 20:7 – Regularly.
The prayer of thanks- The prayer should include thanks for the bread and fruit of the vine.
- There is no need for the prayer to be long. It is best to keep the focus of the prayer on the supper itself.
- At a cemetery, a tombstone is a memorial, not really a representation of a person.
- The bread and fruit of the vine are more properly understood as memorials, not as representations of the body and blood of Jesus.
Contingencies- What about going on a trip and missing the supper?
- Consider carefully because we will have to answer for the Lord for our decisions!
The Lord’s Supper looks:- Upward
- Forward
30 min - Minor Prophets, Part 10
- Haggai 1-2
Introduction- The name Haggai means “festive.”
- We don’t know much about Haggai other than the additional mentions in Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14.
- The book was written during the second year of Darius, about 520 B.C.
- The message of the book is to rebuild the temple. Rebuilding was necessary if God was to bless the people.
Background history:Three waves carried into Babylonian captivity from Judah:
606 B.C. – Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
597 B.C. – Ezekiel
586 B.C. – Temple was destroyed
70 years of captivity in Babylon: 606-536 B.C.
In 549 B.C., Cyrus defeats the Medes, creating the Medo-Persian empire.
In 539 B.C., Cyrus captured Babylon, becoming the reigning world power.
Cyrus was a unique leader and was good to those in captivity. He not only allowed them to return to their home country but provided resources for them to rebuild.
Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Cyrus, calling him by name over 100 years in advance (Isaiah 44:28; 45:4).
Ezra 1:2-4 – Cyrus allowed people to return.
Ezra 3:11 – Cyrus allows cedar trees for the people to use to rebuild.
By the time of Haggai, the people had rebuilt their own houses, but not the house of God. Fourteen years the temple foundation had been in place, but nothing was built on it.
The messages of HaggaiMessage 1: Your indifference is causing all the things you’re suffering (Haggai 1:1-15)- Haggai 1:4 – Their indifference was the reason God had not blessed them. This is not the last time people have built their own houses to the exclusion of God’s house.
- Haggai 1:6-11 – God had refused to bless them.
- Haggai 1:12 – The remedy was repentance!
- Haggai 1:14-15 – The people heard the message and quickly got to work.
Message 2: The glory of the new temple (Haggai 2:1-9)- This message came 3.5 weeks after the construction restarted.
- The feast of tabernacles was a time once a year where the people were to live in tents for seven days to commemorate the wilderness wanderings.
- Haggai 2:1-3 – The older people who remembered the first temple thought this one was nothing in comparison.
- Haggai 2:4 – God would bless them if they would be strong and obey Him.
- Haggai 2:7 – This was ultimately fulfilled in the kingdom of Christ (Hebrews 12:26-28). The treasures that cannot be shaken are those that God’s people store up by serving Him in this life, culminating in the treasure of heaven. See also Daniel 2:44.
- Haggai 2:9 – This is referring to the glory of the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Message 3: Because of their lack of service, even what good they were doing was not acceptable to God (Haggai 2:10-19)- Haggai 2:10-19 – God would now bless them since they were repairing the temple.
Message 4: While the earth and everything around was shaken, they would be blessed (Haggai 2:20-23)- Haggai 2:23 – Zerubbabel would be the chosen leader, not so much because of him personally, but because of his lineage.
Lessons for us- Don’t be negligent. Be busy in serving God.
- God will not bless those who are indifferent in building His house.
- Do not expect God’s blessings while not honoring Him.
- If you mix clean and unclean, you have a body of uncleanness.
- All preaching must have a “thus sayeth the Lord.”
30 min - There Your Heart Will Be Also
Matthew 6:19-21
This is an issue of the heart.
Matthew 6:24 – You cannot serve two masters.
I Timothy 6:8-10 – It’s not about money – it’s about the love of money.
We have to trust in God more than stuff.
Matthew 6:19-20 – Earthly treasures are by nature uncertain.
Psalms 62:10
Hebrews 10:32-34
Matthew 5:11-123
Hebrews 13:5-6
Ecclesiastes 5:10-14
If you have little, it’s much easier to trust in God.
Today, we may feel secure, but are we really secure?
Let’s get specific: how do I build up treasures in heaven?
Spend time in God’s service.
- I Timothy 6:11-14
Demonstrate love to everyone.
Luke 6:35-38
Luke 18:22
See to the needs of the brethren.
Persevere when the world hates you.
- Revelation 2:8-11 – They were poor, but rich in heaven. God would not take their poverty away but would them through it.
Yearn for heaven!
- Hebrews 11:16
30 min - 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Part 9
II Thessalonians 2:1-12 – The man of lawlessness.
About 25% of I Thessalonians refers to the second coming of Christ.
A good case can be made that the “man of lawlessness” is referring to the Roman Catholic church.
II Thessalonians 2:4 – Compare the title of the Pope as “vicar of Christ,” implying his “supreme and universal primacy.” See also Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 22:8-9
II Thessalonians 2:6-7 – Possibly refers to the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic church increased greatly in power after the fall of the Empire in 476.
II Thessalonians 2:7 – “mystery of lawlessness”
- People were already striving for preeminence (II John 1:9-10) and “advocating different ways” (II Peter 2:15). Compare also I Timothy 6:3.
II Thessalonians 2:9-10 – Miracles were part of the qualification of “saints” canonized by the Roman Catholic church.
II Thessalonians 2:8 – The Roman Catholic church is still here today.
Matthew 23:2
II Thessalonians 2:11 – Bible writers often used verbs figuratively to refer to something that you didn’t do directly, but that you allowed or to which you had some connection. See John 4:1-2; Acts 1:18 for examples.
The man of lawlessness may also refer to a general pulling away from God’s ways, of which the Roman Catholic church is one example in particular.
30 min - Helping Each Other Grieve
Ecclesiastes 7:2
Don’t tell them it’s wrong to grieve.
Luke 7:12-15
John 11:33-36 – Jesus joined in the grief!
Love them while they grieve their way.
Colossians 3:12
Denial
- Psalms 55:4-7 – David wanted to get away!
Anger
Job 7:11-16
Anger is not a sin, but it can lead to sin. We must be careful.
John 11:21-22
Bargaining
- II Samuel 18:33; 12:15-23
Depression
- Psalms 69:1-3, 8, 10-11, 20
Acceptance
- It’s not that the loss is forgotten – it’s that the grieving person once again is able to function.
Focus on the one who is grieving.
Romans 12:10; Philippians 2:3-4
Ecclesiastes 3:4-8 – There is a time for everything.
Take your cue from those who are grieving.
Don’t rush it.
Genesis 37:33-35; 50:3, 10-11 – They grieved for extended periods.
Proverbs 25:11 – Speak in right circumstances.
I Thessalonians 4:13, 18
Just be there.
John 11:31
Job 2:11-13 – Job’s friends initially just sat with him in his grief.
30 min - Minor Prophets, Part 9
Habakkuk 1-3
Introduction
The name Habakkuk means “embrace.”
The book was most likely written between 612 and 606 B.C.
Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk 1:1-4 – Habakkuk can’t understand why God allows evil.
Habakkuk 1:5-11 – God replies that His is bringing the Chaldeans to punish Judah.
Habakkuk 1:12-17 – Habakkuk asks how God can use people more wicked than Judah to punish Judah.
Habakkuk 2
Habakkuk 2:1-5 – The Chaldeans would be punished, but the just shall live by faith. It is a fundamental principle that God will punish evil. The passage is referenced from Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:30.
Habakkuk 2:6-19 – Woe to the Chaldeans! See Jeremiah 1. Babylon would be destroyed.
Habakkuk 2:20 – See Psalms 11:4.
Habakkuk 3
- Habakkuk 3:1-19 – Habakkuk’s prayer for deliverance.
Lessons for us:
The just shall live by faith.
The Lord is in His holy temple.
- God is still in control!
When doubts arise, take them to God.
- We can find the answers in God’s word.
While God’s judgments are for the punishment of the wicked, they are also for salvation of the faithful.
The differences between the evil and the righteous is pride vs. faith.
The man of faith will rejoice in the end.
Evil is self-destructive (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
In judgment, pray for mercy.
All will ultimately answer to God (II Corinthians 5:10).
The Lord is our strength (Habakkuk 3:19).
God has gone out for the salvation of his people (Habakkuk 3:13).
- He wants us to be saved, but the choice is ours!
30 min - 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Part 8
II Thessalonians 1:1-12
II Thessalonians 1:1-5
The church here was good but not perfect. No local church is perfect because people are imperfect. God’s design for the church, however, is perfect.
The church in Thessalonica had internal problems, but also had external pressure of loving in a wicked city (Acts 17:5-ff). II Thessalonians 1:4; I Thessalonians 5:11
There’s always going to be some admonishment required in a local church. That is part of God’s design and doesn’t mean the church has failed.
II Thessalonians 1:6-10
Does God’s punishment contradict His love? No! People were hurting God’s children. He was protecting them and being just.
Compare II Peter 3:9.
Revelation 18:20
Romans 12:19
Psalm 140 – An “imprecatory” psalm, calling for judgment on someone.
Paul was comforting the Thessalonians by reminding them that God would take vengeance on those who were persecuting them.
Revelation 6:9-11
Paul connects Judgment Day with positive words for the Thessalonians. Compare I Thessalonians 4:8; 5:11
II Thessalonians 1:11-12 – We glorify God when we live according to His will.
30 min
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Just the gospel, plainly spoken. ScriptureStream compiles lessons presented at the Benchley church of Christ, located just north of Bryan, TX. Visit ScriptureStream.com for full notes on each lesson…
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