On That Day (Zechariah 12:1-9)

The prophets speak of the "Day of the Lord." This is the day when the Lord makes everything right. This is a wonderful day when the Lord establishes his justice, manifests his mercy, and sees to it that the world is fully in the true rest of the kingdom. Zechariah is concluding his prophecy with this vision of the lord making all things right. Our call is to bow our knee to Christ, submit to his reign, and see that as we seek first his kingdom our Lord will deliver us.

Preached September 11, 2022 (9/11/2022)

Am I Redeemed? (LD 7; John 20:30-31)

The question that we can always ask is how do I know if the Lord's redemption is mine? We know that God promises to redeem, but how does that promise become my promise? This is where faith is the essence of assurance. This means that when we have faith in Christ we have assurance. The reason is because faith in Christ takes hold of Christ and all his blessings.

(Sunday August 28, 2022)

False Shepherds and Fake Sheep (Zechariah 11:1-17)

Zechariah prophesied that the Lord's judgment is going to come to all people. This means that it is upon those outside the believing or covenant community as well as those inside the community or the church. Zechariah warns the false shepherds they will be judged. Zechariah also points out a troubling time when his people treat one another as commodities to be traded rather than fellow members of Christ. Zechariah leaves us to see that our only hope is bowing our necks under the Lord's redeeming mercy.

(Sunday August 28, 2022)

One Mediator of One Gospel (Heb. 1:1-14; LD 5)

There is one Gospel promise throughout all the scriptures. This is something that has been debated in church history with the extreme of Marcion denying the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. The struggle to see the unity of Scripture is addressed in the letter to the Hebrews. Christ is the character and the radiance of God. The Old Testament looking to his coming and the New Testament assures us that God's promise is set in stone because he has spoke through his word.

(Sunday August 21, 2022)

God’s Purpose Will Stand (Zechariah 10:1-12)

The prophet Zechariah gives a warning to the false shepherds. This is pretty scary considering that Joshua is not a perfect priest as we witness the vision in Zechariah 3. The assurance that the prophet gives the Lord's people is to pray and ask God. Zechariah assures us that God does in fact listen to our our prayer and God will provide for us. God desires a people who wrestle with him. We know that God will prevail, and so we seek to conform to his image. We do not make God in our image.

(Sunday August 21, 2022)

What Kind of Redeemer? (LD 5; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

God's wrath is kindled because of Adam's fall into sin. This leaves us with the question: how can we get out this predicament? The answer is only through the means that God prescribes: Christ. Christ is God and man joined together in one person. He has to be God to endure the eternal punishment on behalf of his people. He has to be man because man offended God. God cannot simply overlook sin, God will punish sin. The solution is God's redemptive provision. God is the one who pays the redemption that we take hold of by faith.

(Sunday August 14, 2022)

Behold! Your King (Zechariah 9:9-17)

Christ rides a donkey into the holy city of Jerusalem. This is upsetting to the rulers, but we might wonder why is riding on a donkey so upsetting? Why do the people chant praises to Christ as their king when he is on a donkey rather than a war horse? Zechariah provides the backdrop to this prophecy. Zechariah declares that the Lord will establish his vision of peace unlike the fallen nations. It is not through the war horse, but through the king laying down and taking up his life to establish the Lord's eternal kingdom.

(Sunday August 14, 2022)

Who Caused this Problem? (Gen. 3; LD 4)

The Lord finishes his creation and he calls it good. The Lord is pronouncing that all that he created is good. This means that Adam and Eve were not lacking a single thing to obey God. However, when Satan entered the garden they accepted his invitation to evaluate the Lord's word.

(Sunday August 7, 2022)

Prophecy of Doom and Deliverance (Zechariah 9:1-8)

Zechariah receives word regarding some cities that we barely know. However, these cities better pay attention because the Lord's judgment is coming against them. This is not just a prophecy that declares death, but there is assurance that the Lord will establish his heavenly city as symbolized in Jerusalem.

(Sunday August 7, 2022)

Waiting on the Lord's Wisdom (LD 3; Psalm 14)

We might think that God does not see the injustice in this age. We are tempted to cry out to God, "How Long O Lord?" The reality is that injustice is upsetting. We have a problem in our human perspective. We think God has lost sight of everything, but we fail to see the bigger picture. Psalm 14 assures us that God does in fact see all things in this world and can even peer into the heart. This does not make God a busybody, but shows that God is bonded to his people. God will establish his promised eternal rest.

Fasting to Feasting (Zechariah 8:18-23)

The prophet tells us about the promise of eternal life. The prophet makes a very pregnant promise that the Lord's people will be from the nations. The Lord's great feast will be an international community joining together as a new Israel. The Lord truly has wrestled and the Lord has prevailed to bring his people into his rest.

Redeemed from Impurity (Titus 2:14; LD 1)

A strange slogan for the gospel could be, “The Lord can save even a cretan.” This does not sound very polite, but the apostle Paul quotes from a cretan philosopher who summarizes non favorable cretan philosophers. Nevertheless, Paul makes very clear that even the cretans get the same gospel as Abraham. The point that Paul is making is that we are all set apart in Christ as a people who have been made worthy in Christ. It is because Christ has redeemed us that desire to live out of gratitude. In fact, it is a blessing to be owned by Christ.

Baptized into Christ (Romans 6:1-4)

The Apostle Paul tells us that we are baptized into Christ. This seems to imply that at the moment of baptism we are brought directly into communion with Christ. If this is the case then how can we baptize infants? We need to read this exhortation in the context of the church. We should note that that covenant and election are not the same thing. Further, the Apostle Paul is simply exhorting us in light of this sign of consecration. Paul’s exhortation is similar to the the prophets exhorting Israel to circumcise their hearts. The Apostle Paul is simply exhorting us to see that we are a people set apart in Christ. Christ has undergone the definitive ordeal of death and he emerged triumphant from the sea. This sign is showing us that we are identified as a community of people in Christ Jesus.

Satan's Sifting (COD 5, RE 9; Luke 22:32)

Satan is the accuser and adversary against the Lord. Satan seeks to undermine Christ's work and the church. Peter warns us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Peter seems to know a lot about Satan's power. We might be tempted to be afraid. We might be tempted to doubt whether the Lord can prevail against such an adversary. However, Christ gives the assurance that he prays for Peter. We also know that Christ prays for us in the heavenly temple. So, we learn about the power of prayer, and in particular Christ's prayer for us to persevere.

Discerning God's Will (Zechariah 7:1-14)

The Israelites inquire about fasting. They want to know if they should continue their fast regarding the temple's destruction. Their history is a place of limbo. On the one hand they are back in the land, but on the other hand the temple is not finished. This question is very pious as they are inquiring about how to honor the Lord. However, the Lord questions why Israel is asking about this fast. The Lord does not want our outward acts, but we learn that God wants his people.

God’s Imperishable Seed (1 Peter 1:23; COD Head 5 RE 8)

Peter greets the church as a scattered seed, when he says "the dispersion." We are a people scattered throughout the world like Israel in exile. This means that the church is not settled in the land of canaan. We are sojourners through this world who will experience suffering, testing, and unrest. The assurance is that while we are the scattered seed in this world we are born of the imperishable seed from heaven, and we will persevere by God's preserving power.

The Counsel of Peace (Zechariah 6:9-15)

Zechariah moves from being the recipient of visions to the prophet who brings the word of the Lord to the Lord's people. He brings a revelation that a crown is to be placed on the priest's head, and then the crown is the be placed in the temple. The promise is that the branch brings the council of peace between them both. We might think that there is a tension between the king in Israel and the priest. However, it is not an issue of the people, but the separate offices. Zechariah is speaking of the priest king who has no beginning of days nor end of days that we know as Melchizedek.

Heroes or Hero of the Faith? (Hebrews 11; COD Head 5 RE 6, 7)

Normally when we read Hebrews 11 we focus on the individuals and their faith. We look at the deeds that they have done in the power of the faith and we consider them to be the heroes. However, if we put the chapter in the context we discover that the real hero is God who is showing his invisible power at work in his people.

Heaven's Visitation (Zechariah 6:1-8)

Zechariah moves to another location where he sees two bronze mountains. There are chariots that pass between the mountains and survey the world. The horses resemble or echo the horses in the first vision, but now they are pulling chariots. These mountains show the entrance to heaven or the exit from heaven. These chariots are no longer surveying, but they are moving to judge the north country.

The Sin Unto Death (1 John 5:16-18, COD 5 RE 4, 5)

John tells us that if we see someone sin we should pray for that person provided that they are not committing the sin unto death. This can result in us being concerned that maybe we committed the sin unto death and we might wonder if we are saved. The assurance that we have is that if we are concerned about committing the sin unto death then we need to be confident that we did not commit the sin.