O WORSHIP THE KING• O worship the King, all-glorious above,

• And gratefully sing His pow’r and His love;

• Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,

• Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

O WORSHIP THE KING• O tell of His might and sing of His grace,

• Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space;

• His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

• And dark is His path on the wings of the storm

O WORSHIP THE KING• Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

• In You do we trust, nor find You to fail.

• Your mercies, how tender! How firm to the end,

• Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!

GOT ANY RIVERS?• Got any rivers

• You think are uncrossable?

• Got any mountains

• You can't tunnel through?

• God specializes in

• Things tho't impossible;

• He does the things

• Others cannot do.

HE IS ABLE• He is able, more than able

• To accomplish what concerns me today.

• He is able, more than able

• To handle anything that comes my way.

• He is able, more than able

• To do much more than I could ever dream,

• He is able, more than able

• To make me what He wants me to be.

JOYFUL JOYFUL WE ADORE THEE

• Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,God of glory, Lord of love;Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,Op’ning to the sun above.Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;Drive the dark of doubt away;Giver of immortal gladness,Fill us with the light of day!

JOYFUL JOYFUL WE ADORE THEE

• All Thy works with joy surround Thee,Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,Stars and angels sing around Thee,Center of unbroken praise.Field and forest, vale and mountain,Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,Singing bird and flowing fountainCall us to rejoice in Thee.

JOYFUL JOYFUL WE ADORE THEE

• Thou art giving and forgiving,Ever blessing, ever blest,Wellspring of the joy of living,Ocean depth of happy rest!Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,All who live in love are Thine;Teach us how to love each other,Lift us to the joy divine.

JOYFUL JOYFUL WE ADORE THEE

• Mortals, join the happy chorus,Which the morning stars began;Father love is reigning o’er us,Brother love binds man to man.Ever singing, march we onward,Victors in the midst of strife,Joyful music leads us SunwardIn the triumph song of life.

Zechariah 1-6People of the Word

NIGHT VISIONS

GOD’S PEOPLE:“GOD, ARE YOU REALLY WITH ME?”

--Will you bless my efforts to

serve you?

--I’ve been trying, but I’m really tired!

--Is what I’m doing worth it?

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:ZECHARIAH

• --In Jerusalem

• --At the construction site of the Temple

• --520 BC

• --18 years after the Jewish exiles returned

A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR HAGGAI & ZECHARIAH• --Spoke God’s Word to His people

• --Haggai: a practical “doer”

• --Zechariah: An apocalyptic visionary!

• --This time, the people listened!• --Compare them to Jeremiah & Ezekiel

ZECHARIAH: WHO WAS HE?

• Name: “The LORD Remembers”

• Both a prophet and a PRIEST

• Born in exile in Babylon

• Prophesied at least twice in his lifetime: 520-518 BC; & much later (480 BC—Zech. 9-14)

ZECHARIAH’S ORIGINAL PROPHECY:

• Zech. 1:2-4: 2 “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’( says the LORD Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors …”

8 VISIONS IN A SINGLE NIGHT!

• Feb. 15, 519 BC

• Zechariah 1:7-6:16

• Arrangement of 8 Visions follows a “chiastic pattern”

• a/b/b/c/c/b/b/a

• Going up a short scale, then back down

SUMMARY OF 8 NIGHT VISIONS:

• Visions 1 and 8? Earth is a rest/peace

• Visions 2 and 3? Nations threaten Judah, but God protects her

• Visions 4 and 5? 2 appointed Leaders of community: Joshua & Zerrababel

• Visions 6 and 7? Land and its people cleansed from sin

VISION #1: A MAN RIDING A RED HORSE AMONG MYRTLE TREES: 1-7-17

• Myrtle trees symbolized God’s favor, peace, and blessing

• All riders report: “The world is at peace”

• God was jealous for Jerusalem and Zion

VISION #2: 4 HORNS & 4 CRAFTSMAN (1:18-21)

• Represents powerful nations surrounding Judah in 4 directions

• Could be Egypt, Greece, Babilonia and Persia

VISION #3: A MAN WITH A MEASURING LINE (2:1-13)

• An Angel is sent to measure the boundaries of Jerusalem…

• “Jerusalem will be a city without walls, because of the great number of men in it…And I will be a wall of fire around it…and I will be its glory within.” Zechariah 2:4-5

VISION #4: CLEANSING & CROWNING OF JOSHUA

• Joshua stands before the LORD, and there is Satan to accuse him. “The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! …Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” (3:1-3)

• Quite a picture of salvation here

• Give that man some new clean clothes!

VISION #5: GOLD LAMPSTAND & 2 OLIVE TREES

VISION IS MEANT FOR ZERUBBABEL--GOVERNOR

• “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty” (4:6)

• Zerubabbel given responsibility to rebuild God’s Temple—How did he do it?

• Began to rebuild in 538 BC (altar; foundation; delay; then completed Temple construction in March, 516 BC)

VISION #6: A FLYING SCROLL

• It is a “giant teradactyl” of a 30 feet long, 15 feet wide scroll that is collecting sin, and is a WARNING:

• If you persist in stealing, lying, violating God’s commands? You will be banished from the land!

VISION #7: A WOMAN IN A BASKET

• Her name is “wickedness”

• She is getting hauled away to Babylon

• Sin is being removed from the land

• God is purifying His people

VISION #8: 4 CHARIOTS (ZECH. 6:1-8)

VISION #8: FOUR CHARIOTS

• 4 Chariots are 4 spirits of heaven, or angels

• Sent out to execute God’s judgment

CROWNING OF “JOSHUA”

• Joshua was to be called “The Branch”

• Joshua as to build the Temple of the LORD

• He will rule as King from his throne (?)

• How does this apply to “Joshua”? In Greek, Joshua is Jesus. He will be both Priest and King!

ZECH. 6: CONCLUSION & RECAP

• “Lord, will this Temple really get rebuilt?”

• “Lord, will you continue to help us?”

• “Lord, if we finish rebuilding this Temple, what are you up to here?”

GOD WAS MAGNIFYING THEIR DESTINY!

• God’s people had returned to Him and obeyed His command (rebuild the Temple)

• God would punish all of Israel’s enemies

• God would remove sin from Israel

• God would send His Messiah—The Branch

• God’s people would become a light to the nations!

IF YOU WERE GOD’S PEOPLE & YOU HEARD THAT, WOULDN’T YOU BE ENCOURAGED?!?

• “The LORD Almighty is with us!

• The God of Jacob is our fortress…” Psalm 46:11