Zechariah chapter 9. God's people are living in a
world that hates them. This is not our home. And we're revealed to be a strange
people. to the world. We're strange because of the
Christ that we love and because of his gospel that we preach. Why? Why are we hated by the
world because of this message and the Christ of this message. Why? And I'll tell you why. Because
this message exposes and condemns, reveals the condemnation of all
that die not believing this gospel. Man by nature wants to believe
that he can please God. And when you tell man that he
can't, That God saves whom He will, when He will. Through this message, when you
tell them that, what you're saying to them is this, you're wrong. And they don't like that. So
we're hated of all men. But, that, even that hatred,
and I don't, just for no reason, I don't like it if somebody doesn't
like me. But with it being because of
the gospel, I don't want to give somebody an unnecessary reason
to hate me. But if it's because of this gospel
that we can't compromise on, you can't do this, you cannot.
That hatred and resentment is really a blessing that the Lord
has revealed. Listen to this, Matthew 5.11,
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, persecute you, And
she'll say, all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. That's a blessing. God has revealed
a blessing. Now, in Zechariah, the scripture,
I'm going to read the first eight verses. I'm just going to read
them. I'm not going to comment really on them. And the reason
I'm not going to is for the sake of getting to verse 9. I don't
want to labor this message. But I want to just tell you what
I'm going to read in the first eight verses. The first eight
verses is setting forth that all those that are in this world
that know not the Lord, that are trusting in temporal things
and their works, God's going to deal with them. But He's going
to preserve His people. In the midst while we're living
in this world, God's going to preserve us. Now we're living
around people that don't like what we believe. But that's the
blessing that God has bestowed upon His people to realize that
His grace is sufficient for us. Not our works, His grace. Now
listen, these first eight verses, what it's saying is we're living
in a world that's trusting in themselves and God's going to
deal with them. Zechariah 9, 1-8, the burden Now that word
burden right there means comfort. Okay, I said I wasn't going to
comment. The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach
and Damascus shall be the rest thereof when the eyes of man
as of all the tribes of Israel shall be toward the Lord. God
said I got some comfort. God's people in the midst of
this, their eyes are going to be toward Him. This ultimately
means the eyes of the Lord Himself for His people. And Hamath also
shall border thereby, Tyrus, Zidon, though it be very wise. And Tyrus shall build herself
a stronghold, heaped up silver as the dust and fine gold as
the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her
out. He will smite her power in the sea, and she shall be
devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it and fear.
also shall see it, and be very sorrowful. And Ekron, for her
expectation, shall be ashamed. The king shall perish from Gaza,
and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited, and the bastard shall dwell in
Ashdod. And I will cut off the pride
of the Philistines, and I will take away his blood out of his
mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth. But he that
remaineth, even he shall be for our God, He shall be as a governor
in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp around mine
house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because
of him that returneth. And no oppressor shall pass through
them any more, for now have I seen with mine eyes." And this is
what he said. God's people are in the midst of a world that
hates them, that's trusting in themselves. But God said, I'm
going to deal with them. But I'm going to encamp around
my people. I'm going to deal with all this
evil. But I'm going to keep my people. I'm going to keep them
in the midst. Now, for every blood-bought sinner,
everyone that feels that struggle within himself because of the
presence of sin. The Spirit of God has got a word.
I'm going to just look for a few minutes at verse 9. And here's
the comfort for God's people. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion. Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee. He is just and having salvation,
lowly, riding upon an ass and upon a colt. the foal of an ass. Now, that prophecy was written
by a man, a prophet named Zechariah. And it was written approximately
500 years plus. 530 is what I found, but I'll
just say it was written over 500 years before the Lord Jesus
Christ actually came into this world. And what it was actually
talking about was that triumphant entry. of the Lord into Jerusalem
less than a week before He was crucified. He rode in, just like
that scripture says right there, riding upon a donkey. And they
were throwing down palm, you know, hosanna to the highest,
praising the Lord coming, the Lord coming. In less than a week,
they killed Him. They took evil hands and killed
Him. But now, the words of that prophecy
They're written in the present tense. Look at it. Behold thy
king cometh unto thee. 2500 years plus ago that scripture
was written. 500 years before the Lord came
and it was written for right now, right now. These are the
words of hope to a downtrodden people that's being kept and
sustained by the Lord Himself. Here's what it says. Rejoice
greatly, church. Bride, O daughter of Zion, shout,
O daughter of Jerusalem, be glad. We got something to be glad about.
We just mentioned. What have we got to be glad about?
God Almighty has chosen to set His affection on us. I love you. I love you. And gave His Son. Put away our guilt. And rejoice. Rejoice greatly that you're not
trusting. in the feeble works of your self-righteousness
anymore. One time we did. No matter what
it was, we were trusting in something before the Lord called us. You
rejoice because you're not doing that now. You got something to
be glad about. God has revealed something to
you. All these little fading toys that just feed the flesh,
but oh, rejoice. in that God Almighty has fulfilled
His promise to send the Messiah. So that promise that was started
in the garden. God began that promise of Christ
coming to man when he told Adam and Eve, I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise.
He's talking about Satan, thy head, thy shall bruise, his heel.
What's he saying? He said the Messiah is going
to come. He's going to put down the dominion of Satan. He's going
to crush his head. His heel will be bruised. He'll
go to the cross. But I'm telling you, sin and
Satan and the world and self is going to be put away for God's
people, God's elect. So here comes the king. He's going to come and Zacharias
says, not only will he come, he cometh. He's coming right
now. And then He tells His people,
He says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter, behold thy King. Now listen, just for a few minutes.
May the Lord give us a heart to hear this. Behold. Just for a moment. Lord, could
it be that just for a fleeting moment. I'm so prone to, seems
like there's times that I might, I almost thought I got a hold
of something. And just for a fleeting moment,
my heart just rejoiced. And I think, oh, I think I saw
that. I think I did. And then it seems
like it's gone. You ever done that? You just,
you know, I wish I could, I wish I could retain. There's times
that, Carl, I'll read something in my heart, and I just, I cry. I'm just crying. That is so good. Why can't I see that all the
time like that? Just behold thy King. Lord, would you give me a heart
for a moment. The King that you've given me. Behold thy come. That King cometh. He cometh. I know that He came
the first time in flesh. He came into this world and He
came to fulfill the work of the Father to redeem. And He did.
And I know this. I know He's coming again. I know
He's coming again. But what about this cometh? Behold, church, thy King cometh. He enters is what that means.
He enters. Thy king cometh. Hold your place
right there. Look at Psalm 63. How is it that
the Lord, Psalm 63 verses 5 and 6. How is it that the Lord comes
to his people? Thy king, O daughter of Jerusalem,
O daughter of Zion, you behold by faith, you look at your king
that cometh. Let me ask you if the Lord's
ever come to you this way. Look at Psalm 63, 5 and 6. The psalmist says, My soul shall
be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise
thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate
on thee in the night watches. Let me ask you something. You
that know Him, Have you ever found yourself at night, I don't
know, I don't know if I was asleep or not, I don't know, maybe I
was, maybe I wasn't, I don't know. But it just seemed like
that I just felt, I just knew, experienced, I don't even know
how to say it, the presence of the Lord. God would speak. I didn't hear anything with my
ear, but in my heart, I thought on Him. I just meditated in these
night watches. In those times when it's just
quiet. There's nobody there. It's the
Lord. It's the Lord. I know He came
to Samuel that way. He spoke to little Samuel. And
He called him. Samuel got up. He'd go talk to
Eli. Eli realized after three times,
you know, he said, thy servant heareth, and it's the Lord. He'll
speak to you. Has the Lord ever come to you
that way? Somebody says, well, I don't know what you're talking
about. Well, I understand. I understand. But maybe there
is some that hear, that have heard that. Maybe they've experienced
this. Let me ask you this. Behold,
thy King cometh. Do you truly believe that whenever
two or three are gathered together in His name, Do you really, truly
believe that He's here? Now just for a moment, just think
on that. Do you truly believe that He's
here? He said He is. If He said He is, then you know
what that means? He is. He really is. He cometh. Behold, O daughter of Zion, thy
King cometh. He cometh. When we assemble here
together, and we're here in His name, to hear of His glory and
His character, and He's here. Look at Malachi. Hold your place
there in Zechariah. Malachi 3. Listen to this. Here's the problem, just a few
pages, three or four pages over. Malachi 3, verse 16. Then they that feared, respected,
honored, reverenced the Lord spake often one to another, and
the Lord hearkened. You know what that means? He
paid attention. That's what that word means.
He paid attention to what was being said. He that instigated
the conversation. They that feared the Lord speak
often one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard
it. And a book of remembrance was
written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought
upon His name. Is it a real book? Does He need
a book to remember? The omniscient God that knows
everything? What does that mean? But I can
tell you this, He hearkened and He cometh. Behold, O daughter
of Zion, thy King cometh. But listen to whom He's coming
unto thee. coming unto thee. He that has
everlastingly loved his people, that loves to be where they are. And two of them are talking together,
and they talk concerning the Lord, and they express conversation. I think of how easily it is when
you meet with God's people, how easily we speak of the Lord.
And the Lord pays attention. Rejoice, thy King cometh unto
thee. You know, that scripture right
there, the Apostle John was moved upon by the Spirit of God to
write that scripture down in John 12, 15. But listen to how
the Spirit of God moved upon him. When Zacharias said, He
says, Rejoice greatly when John wrote it of that scripture. Here's
how John wrote it. John 12, 15. Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, thy king cometh sitting
on an ass's colt. The Spirit of God said, John,
you write this. Zachariah, here's the way I want
you to say it. Rejoice greatly. John, this is
the way I want you to say it. Fear not. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I don't know what's going to
happen after this moment right now. I don't know what's going
to happen. But the Lord has given me this assurance. Don't be struck
with fear. Don't be seized with alarm. Fear not. And here's the reason. Here's the reason. He is just. Back in Zechariah 9. He is just. He's righteous. This is the reason.
You don't have any reason to fear. This is reason to rejoice. He's righteous. Isaiah 53, 11,
he shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied by
his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he
shall bear their iniquities. Now listen, daughter of Zion,
don't be afraid. Rejoice greatly. Thy king cometh
unto thee. He is just. He has satisfied
God's demand for the broken law for us. Don't be afraid. God, as we said before, He doesn't
pardon sin at the expense of justice. Listen to this. Concerning Him being just, Isaiah
42, 21, the Lord is well pleased for His righteousness sake. He will magnify the law and make
it honorable. Why do we not have any reason
to be afraid? Because God is well pleased with
us who are in Him for His sake. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Rejoice. And listen, here's another
thing. He's just and having salvation. He has salvation. The scripture
It sets forth concerning him having salvation. It says in
my reference here, saving himself. What does that mean, saving himself?
It means he's saved by himself. He has salvation. See, I have great reason to rejoice
because the Lord who is just has taught me I didn't save myself. He has salvation. He having salvation. He shows himself to be a savior. He's endowed with salvation for
his people. And he saves them with no effort
on their part. He's the salvation. That's the
one Simeon spoke of when he said unto him, Lord, after he saw
the baby, the child, Christ Jesus, Lord, now let us thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word. He wasn't telling the
Lord what to do. Lord, let us thy servant depart
in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation
which thou has prepared before the face of all people. This,
this is our king. Here is our king, the one in
whom we rejoice greatly, the one who's just satisfied everything
before God, and now he has salvation. How did he do it in closing?
Lowly. Lowly. Weak, poor, humbled himself
as we must be. He did that for us. I owe God
respect. I owe humility before God. I
owe meekness before God. I ought to be one that is despised
in myself. But He bore all of this responsibility
for me. He came lowly, lowly before God,
stricken, smitten of God for our riding upon an ass, upon
a cold fold of an ass. Not like the kings of this world
think. Can you imagine how a victorious
king that had gone out and wrought a mighty victory and beat this
city, went against this city and destroyed that city and took
all this. Man, if he came back in Jeff, came back into town,
I mean, we're going to be looking for the biggest white stallion,
you know, and let's get the best looking saddle we can get. And
I mean, you know, the reins, everything, all that goes with
it. I mean, make sure that this is
the most decked out horse you've ever seen in your life. How did
he come in? How did he come into Jerusalem?
The scripture says he came in lowly, riding upon an ass on
just a little donkey. Man by nature would look at that
and say, are you kidding me? That's the best you got? This
is him. This is our king who humbled
himself. This is the way he came the first
time. But he's coming back next time. He's not coming back like
this. I'll tell you who he's coming
back. He's coming back as the judge. He's coming back as the
King who's going to judge all unrighteousness. The King who's
going to receive His own, His Zion, His church, His bride that
is everlasting. That's how He's coming back for
them. Oh, rejoice greatly. Oh, daughter of Zion, shout. Daughter of Jerusalem, behold,
thy King cometh unto thee. May the Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake. Oh, gee.