I. DESTRUCTION OF ENEMIES/ POSSIBILITIES FOR REHAB.
A. OPEN TO ZECHARIAH 9. IN THE FIRST SIX VERSES
OF CHPT. 9 THE LORD
DESCRIBES
HOW HE WILL OVERCOME THE ENEMIES OF JUDAH AND ISREAL. WE DON'T NEED
TO
READ THIS. BUT READ WITH ME V.7.
B. THEY HAVE BLOOD IN THEIR MOUTHS AND FORBIDDEN
FOOD. WHAT ARE
WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? DIET, HEALTH AND FITNESS? (NO. THE IDEA IS THAT
THEY WERE EATING SACRIFICES OFFERRED TO IDOLS. THEY GAVE ALLEGIENCE
TO
OTHER GODS. THEY ARE CLEARLY IN THE ENEMIES' CAMP.)
C. WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR THESE PEOPLE? (THOSE
LEFT WILL BECOME
LEADERS IN JUDAH!)
D. DID THIS HAPPEN? DID THE PHILISTINES
BECOME LEADERS IN JUDAH?
(NO. NONE OF THIS HAPPENED. "OPPRESSOR[S DID] OVERRUN MY PEOPLE" (V.8)
AND
THE JEWS DID NOT LET PHILISTINES LEAD, NOT BY CONSENT AT LEAST. WHAT
THIS
IS TALKING ABOUT IS SPIRITUAL ISREAL. IT IS TALKING ABOUT US.)
E. THE PICTURE I GET IS THAT THESE PEOPLE
WERE NOT JEWS, BUT THEY DID
ACCEPT GOD AS THEIR LEADER.
1. WHAT ARE
YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS OTHER CHRISTIANS WHO ARE
NOT ADVENTISTS, BUT ACCEPT GOD AS THEIR LEADER?
2. DO WE WORK
WITH THEM ONLY IF THEY ACCEPT ALL OF THE
DOCTRINES OF OUR CHURCH?
3. IF EVERY
MEMBER OF EVERY CHURCH IN MANASSAS WERE AN SDA,
HOW WOULD YOU WORK WITH THEM TO PROMOTE THE GOSPEL?
a. WHY CAN'T WE DO THAT NOW?
F. WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE
TOWARDS THOSE
CHRISTIANS WHO DO NOT SEE EYE-TO-EYE WITH US ON DOCTRINE AND
PRACTICE?
II. FIRST ADVENT OF JESUS.
A. READ ZECHARIAH9:9. WHAT DOES THIS REFER
TO? (READ MATT. 21:1-11.)
B. ZECHARIAH WROTE THIS 500 YRS. BEFORE CHRIST
FULFILLED THIS
PROPHECY.
C. I FEEL A BIT LIKE AN ACCOUNTANT AT THIS
POINT. IT ALL ADDS UP. IT
WAS PROPHESIED THAT JESUS WOULD RIDE IN ON A DONKEY, AND SURE
ENOUGH,
HE DID. NICE AND NEAT.
1. TELL ME WHY
HE DID THIS?
2. WHY CHOSE
A DONKEY OF ALL THINGS?
3. WHY A YOUNG
DONKEY?
4. MODERN DAY
EQUIVALENT? (NEW SMALL PICKUP)
D. TURN WITH ME TO REV. 19:11-14. HOW DO YOU
LIKE THIS ENTRANCE IN
COMPARISION. (THIS ONE GETS MY VOTE!)
E. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THE WORLD WOULD HAVE
BEEN LIKE IF THE
PEOPLE HAD BEEN FAITHFUL? WOULD THE ENTRANCE HAVE BEEN THE SAME?
( TWO THOUGHTS: 1)DA pp. 570 THIS FOLLOWED JEWISH CUSTOM FOR ROYAL
ENTRY. JESUS IS SAYING THAT I AM YOUR LEADER. 2)THIS SYMBOLIZES
THE
WHOLE IDEA IS THAT JESUS IS WOOING US AND NOT FORCING US.)
III. THE SHEPHERD
A. LETS MOVE NOW TO CHPT. 10 WHERE WE READ
MORE ABOUT JESUS AS
OUR LEADER. READ 10:2.
1. IT SAYS THAT
THE IDOL AND THE FORTUNE TELLER LET THE PEOPLE
WANDER. HOW IS THIS TRUE?
2. OF COURSE,
WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT TODAY,
BECAUSE IDOL WORSHIP IS PRETTY WELL DEAD, RIGHT?
3. WHAT WOULD
BE TODAY'S IDOL, AND HOW COULD IT CAUSE YOU TO
WANDER? (MY DEFINITION OF IDOL WORSHIP IS GETTING BROADER ALL THE
TIME.
PEOPLE WORSHIPED IDOLS BECAUSE THEY TRUSTED OR FEARED THEM.)
4. IF THE PEOPLE
FOLLOWED THE IDOL, WHO WERE THEY FOLLOWING?
(THEMSELVES! REX LEX! THAT IS WHY THE SHEEP WANDERED, THEY
FOLLOWED
EACH OTHER.)
B. GOD SAYS THAT HE WANTS US TO TRUST AND
FEAR HIM. FOLLOWING ANY
ADVICE BUT THAT WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH SCRIPTURE IS FOLLOWING
ANOTHER SHEEP. IT IS TAKING YOUR ADVICE FROM AN IDOL--SOMETHING
MADE
BY THE HAND'S OF ANOTHER MAN.)
C. READ 10:3. THIS IS A SPECIAL WARNING TO
LEADERS. IF YOU ARE
FAITHFUL THIS SAYS THAT YOU WILL BECOME LIKE A HORSE. SPECIFICALLY,
A
HORSE IN BATTLE.
1. IS THAT WHAT
YOU WANT?
2. WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN?
3. WHAT IS GOOD
ABOUT A HORSE IN BATTLE? ISN'T IT LIKELY TO GET
ACCIDENTALLY SHOT? CLASSIC CASE OF BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT
THE
WRONG TIME? (RECENTLY READ A BOOK SET IN THE 1500'S AND IT MENTIONED
KNIGHTS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR HORSES. BIG STRONG WAR HORSES,
CARRIED KNIGHTS INTO BATTLE. I LIKE THE PICTURE HERE BECAUSE
IT SHOWS
THAT WE ARE NOT FIGHTING THE BATTLE, WE ARE JUST GIVING AN
OPPORTUNITY
FOR THE HS TO DO IT. HOWEVER WE DO HAVE A PART.)
D. THE REST OF CHPT. 10 TALKS ABOUT HOW GOD
WILL STRENGTHEN, SAVE
AND RESTORE HIS PEOPLE. IN CHPT. 11, THINGS GET WORSE.
LETS TURN TO IT
NEXT.
IV. REJECTION OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
A. READ 11:4-8. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT
THIS IS SAYING? (THAT THE
FALSE SHEPARDS SELL THEIR SHEEP FOR MONEY. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT
THE
SHEEP. SO GOD DOES TWO THINGS: 1) HE GETS RID OF THE BAD SHEPHERDS
(THREE
TO BE EXACT) AND 2) HE PUTS THE FLOCK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED
OUT
TO PASTURE.)
B. BUT WHAT IS THE REACTION OF THE FLOCK?
(V.8B-IT DETESTED THE GOOD
SHEPHERD.)
C. NOTICE THE TWO RODS OR STAFFS. ONE
IS CALLED "GRACE" OR "FAVOR"
AND THE OTHER "UNION" OR "UNITY."
1. THE SHEPHERD
CARRIED TWO STICKS/CLUBS. ONE TO DEFEND
AGAINST ATTACKS ON THE SHEEP AND THE OTHER TO GUIDE THE SHEEP.
2. WHY WOULD
YOU GUESS THOSE RODS HAD THOSE NAMES? (GRACE
OR FAVOR IS THE DEFENSE AGAINST THE ATTACKS OF SATAN AND UNITY IS THE
GUIDANCE ROD.)
D. READ V. 10-14.
1. WHICH ROD
WAS BROKEN FIRST? (FAVOR)
2. WHAT DO YOU
THINK THAT MEANS? (NO GRACE/INTERCESSION)
3. DID THIS
HAPPEN? (YES. STOPPED PROTECTING PEOPLE. VEIL OF
TEMPLE.)
E. WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THE BREAKING OF THE
TWO RODS? WHAT IS
THE REFERENCE TO THE 30 PIECES OF SILVER AND THE POTTER? (IN MATT.
27:3-10
IT RECOUNTS THE PRICE PAID TO JUDAS, HIS REMORSE AND RETURN OF THE
MONEY AND THE DECISION OF THE PRIESTS TO USE THE MONEY TO BUY A
BURIAL
FIELD FOR FOREIGNERS FROM THE POTTER.)
F. AFTER JESUS WAS KILLED, THE SECOND ROD
WAS BROKEN TOO.
G. DOES THIS MEAN THAT NO ISREALITE COULD
BE SAVED? (NO. BOTH V.7
AND 11 SEEM TO INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A FAITHFUL REMNANT WHO WERE
WATCHING AND WHO KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.)
V.NEXT WEEK WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO CHRIST'S SACRIFICE IN MORE
DETAIL.