Good evening and welcome to the
services tonight. We're thankful for those who
are joining us here and for those who are joining us on Zoom and
for those who will join us on Sermon Audio. We're going to
be moving into the book of Zechariah chapter 11. Chapter 11 tonight
of the book of Zechariah and I want to read this entire chapter.
The first time through I want to skip a couple of verses and
then come back and read them. And this will probably be the
only time during our study of chapter 11 that I'll read the
entire chapter. Zechariah chapter 11, beginning
with verse 1. Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that
the fire may devour thy cedars. How, fir tree, for the cedar
is fallen, because the mighty are spoiled. How, O ye oaks of
Bashan, for the forest of the vintage is come down. There is
a voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their glory is
spoiled, a voice of the roaring of young lions, for their pride
of Jordan is spoiled. Thus saith the Lord my God, feed
the flock of the slaughter, whose possessors slay them, and hold
themselves not guilty. And they that sell them say,
Blessed be the Lord, For I am rich, and their own shepherds
pity them not. For I will no more pity the inhabitants
of the land, saith the Lord. But lo, I deliver the men, every
one, into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king.
And they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will
deliver them. I will feed the flock of slaughter,
even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves,
the one called Beauty, and the other called Bands, and I fed
the flock. Three shepherds also I cut off
in one month, and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred
me. Then said I, I will feed my not
feed you that that dieth let it die and that that is to be
cut off let it be cut off and let the rest eat and every one
the flesh of another and i took my staff even beauty and cut
asunder that i might break my covenant which i made with all
people and it was broken in that day and so the poor of the flock
that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord.
And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price. Then I cut asunder mine other
staff, even bands, that I might break the brotherhood between
Judah and Israel. And the Lord said unto me, Take
unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For lo,
I will rise up a shepherd in the land which shall not visit
those that be cut off. Neither shall seek the young
one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still. But he shall eat the flesh of
the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idle shepherd
that leaveth the flock. The sword shall be upon his arm. And upon his right eye his arm
shall be cleaned right up, and his right eye shall be utterly
darkened. Now I want us to remember that
as we read through this chapter, as well as we've read through
the chapters thus far in the book of Zechariah, most of this
was written in verse when it was originally written. And that
gives us some inside track about it, that it is not to be taken
literally, but it is to be looked at from a spiritual context.
It is to be looked at as the Lord gives us spiritual information. the world, the lost uh... they don't see things that way
they see it from a literal standpoint but uh... the church is spiritually
discerned so we hope to have a little discernment here about
this figurative language that's mentioned here now we're going
to go back to verses twelve and thirteen we did not read those
two verses on purpose because we wanted to read the rest of
it and see the figurative language and as many of the commentators
might mention They've they had all sorts of things that are
going to happen in the future all sorts of things that happened
in the past But let us look here at verses 12 and 13, and I believe
we get some understanding about what this chapter is about And
as this passage is expressly applied to the Lord Jesus Christ
we'll see by Matthew we cannot err if we accept the whole chapter
as principally referring to him and his great work of redemption
so let's read verses twelve and thirteen and I said unto them
if ye think good give me my price and if not forbear so they weighed
for my price thirty pieces of silver and the Lord said unto
me cast it upon the potter a goodly price that I was prized of them. And I took the thirty pieces
of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord."
Now this passage of scripture is quoted over in the book of
Matthew. So turn with me if you would to the book of Matthew
chapter 27. Matthew chapter 27 and over here
in the book of Matthew chapter 27 we have this verse of scripture
quoted chapter 27 and verse 9. Now there are three times here
in the book of Matthew in these last chapters that the number
30 pieces are mentioned. Here it is in verse 9 of the
27th chapter that this is mentioned with regard to selling the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now the chief priests had paid
Judas. We could go back and we'd find
out that Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver to betray the Lord
Jesus. And we notice in verse 3 of this
27th chapter, Then Judas which had betrayed him, when he saw
that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the
30 pieces of silver to the chief priests. And then we go down
to verse 9 of this chapter, it says, Then was fulfilled that
which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took
the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued,
whom they of the children of Israel did value. Now this passage
of scripture here is quoted in the book of Zechariah. Now there's
some conjecture by those who know better than I do about why
Jeremiah is mentioned here, but to me it's probably just an issue
by one of the translators. Like we find in another place
that Joshua is used instead of the name of the Lord Jesus. And
here Jeremiah was used instead of Zechariah. Jeremiah doesn't
have this prophecy, but your Zechariah does and as we read
it over there in the book of Zechariah chapter 11 verses 12
and 13 30 pieces of silver that was weighed out for the price
of the Lord Jesus and in Matthew chapter 27 and verse 9 We have
that fulfilled the Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by with 30
pieces of silver Jesus Shares with us that so often in the
flesh, in our natural estate, in our natural condition, that
we have a real problem with the Scriptures, and that's going
to be a problem posed by many as we look at the book of Zechariah,
particularly as we're looking at chapter 11 now. The Lord Jesus
shared with us in the book of Matthew, going back there again
to chapter 22, and thinking about what he had to say here in Matthew
chapter 22. Now, the question that came up here was brought
by a bunch of Sadducees, a religious group that were in his day and
in his time, and they did not believe in a resurrection. And
here in the book of Matthew, chapter 22, verse 29, the Lord
Jesus brings up this statement that answers a lot of why people
don't understand or don't believe the word that we give from the
word of God. Now, to us, it's life and bread. To us, it's food and water. But
to many, it is nothing but words And here in the book of Matthew
22, 29, we have the Lord Jesus bringing this point up. Now I'm
stepping into a discussion here that the Lord Jesus brings about
with regard to the resurrection. The Sadducees brought up a point
and they said in the Old Testament, if a man married a woman and
he died, then she was to marry his brother. And this happened
and their question came up there in verse 28. Therefore, if the
resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven, for they
all had her, they're all married to her. Now, who's she going
to be in the resurrection? Well, they didn't even believe
that. But notice the Lord as he brings up a point here that
is so prominent as we discuss any of the scriptures, Jesus
answered and said unto them, ye do err. You have a problem
here. That word is to stray or to lead
astray. that means to go astray or to
wander so you do err not knowing the scriptures now that's number
one here he brings up this point that these Sadducees did not
know the scriptures and not knowing them they did not believe them
and when we get over to the book of Zechariah chapter 11 or all
the book of Zechariah we're going to find out that it's important
that we believe the scriptures. And secondly, he brings out to
these Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection, but they
bring up a hypothetical case with regard to the resurrection.
He says, you don't know the scriptures, you err, not knowing the scriptures,
nor the power of God. And we find that God is all powerful. He's sovereign. He rules and
reigns. And so he does as he has predetermined,
as he has stated in the covenant of grace, and we're going to
follow that out here in the book of Zechariah. So, if we look
at the book of Zechariah, chapter 11, from a standpoint of an unbeliever,
we're going to have this problem brought to us. We do err, not
knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. If we start applying
this to all sorts of things or incidences, we're going to find
ourselves that are going to be in problem. Now, when these two
verses are brought out, verses 12 and 13, in the middle of this
chapter, chapter 11, We find out that these verses, these
are the keys to open and explain the rest. The 30 pieces of silver
mentioned in this chapter serve for a key to open and explain
the rest of the chapter. And that is that this passage
is expressly applied to the Lord Jesus Christ as we read there
in the book of Matthew. And we cannot err if we accept
that the whole chapter is principally referring to him and his great
work of redemption. So as we look here, let's keep
in mind these verses found in Zechariah chapter 11, verses
12 and 13 that expressly speak of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ as it's brought out in the book of Matthew, chapter
27, verse 9, then we will not have the problem of erring, not
knowing the Scriptures, and not knowing the power of God. We
want to know the Scriptures, and they are revealed to God's
people, and we want to know the power of God, because that is
what saves us. All right. Let us go back here
to the book of Zechariah, and in this chapter we're going to
find that there's going to be a discussion made between good
shepherds and bad shepherds. We're going to find that they're
first of all brought out as bad shepherds and we're not going
to discuss a lot about that tonight. But we want to look here particularly
in this passage of scripture in verse four. In Zechariah chapter
11 and verse four. In this passage of scripture,
we see some wonderful things about what God has provided for
the church. It tells us here in verse four,
thus saith the Lord, my God, feed the flock of the slaughter.
Now, it is true that throughout history, throughout time, that
God's people have been Well, if we read there in the book
of Hebrews chapter 11, some atrocious things took place with the children
of God. They were really slaughtered.
But we're also the children of slaughter, and that is what we
find with regard to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
are the children of his great mediatorial We are the children
of his death on the cross. We are the children of what took
place there. And so we are told by Zachariah
that the Lord my God said, feed the flock. Now, as we look at
this, we find that the scriptures are filled with passages of scripture
that share with us what needs to be preached, what should be
preached, what we want to have preached. And that is that we
feed the flock of God. I don't want to be curt about
this, but in reality, we find out that when a preacher preaches,
his message is for the church. His message is for the church. The Bible is for the church.
Genesis to Revelation is a message to the church. We do not find
in here that we have a separate message to go to the lost and
another message to go to the church. We have a message that
goes to the church, and this message is to be delivered whenever
we have the opportunity. It is a message for God's people. Now, the Syrophoenician woman
brought up a good point. She said, even the crumbs from
the table are for the dogs. You know, it is God's good purpose
and God's good blessing that when people that from the outside
are lost without help, without hope, and without a God in this
world, not without God in this world, that it pleases God at
times for the crumbs, for the scraps, if you please, for those
passages of scripture, for that message of encouragement to the
church strikes home with the lost sheep. God has that. He has it in his purpose. But
the purpose, we find with regard to the preaching of the gospel,
was brought out by the Lord Jesus to the Apostle Peter after his
great sin. You know, he did what we all
do. We find out there in the book
of John that he brings us out. so clearly after peter and in
in many respects peter did nothing more or less than what judas
did but judas was not one of the elect and peter was judas
was not salvaged he went out and hanged himself peter was
salvaged he was brought grace grace and grace now in those
last uh... few days before the lord ascended
back he meets with peter and he shares with him do you love
me well when peter answered Jesus said this, feed my sheep. The
next question, the answer is, feed my lambs. And the answer
to the third time was, feed my sheep. Now we're going to find
out that there is a blessing in feeding the sheep of God.
There's a blessing in preaching the gospel. Now this gospel is
brought out in the book of Romans. Let's go over to the book of
Romans there in chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. Would you
join me there? This passage of scripture is
often Brought up by people who don't know the gospel, but they're
trying to prove that they're saved They're trying to prove
how they were saved and they're all sharing with us that they
Performed some act. I believed I I well when someone
is saved we we confess he he he We didn't contribute a thing. In fact, we were the negative
force if you please We were the resisting force and we're thankful
that he has the ability of overcoming us Here in the book of Romans
chapter 10, I'd like to read verses 14 and 15. Now there's
much more to be said here, but notice here that in verses 14
and 15, now one of the things that we're going to notice in
the preaching of the apostle Paul, the preaching of Peter,
the preaching of all of the apostles and all of the disciples that
went out to preach, that their message was this message that's
brought out here, that it is a gospel of peace. glad tidings
of good things. That is what is to be preached.
Nowhere do we find that we're going to have conversions made
by preaching hell, fire, and damnation. We don't find that
in scripture. We find that it is the goodness
of God that leads us to repentance. So to feed the flock is what
the Lord tells Zechariah to tell to the people. Now it is a flock. It is a flock that's marked out.
It's a flock that has been purchased by slaughter, by blood. It is
a flock that is known unto God. He assembles them according to
His good purpose and His will. Well, here in the book of Romans,
if we read back just a little bit, we find the verses of Scripture
that people want to go to, religious people want to go to, but let's
look at verse 14 and 15. How then shall they call on him whom
they have not believed? How can we ask someone to call
on the Lord when they haven't even believed him? And then it
goes on, and how shall they believe in him on whom they have not
heard? There must be the preaching. There must be the gospel preaching.
Something must be said. And how shall they hear without
a preacher? God has an order about it. He's
the one that provides all the necessary activities. He's the
one that provides faith. He's the one that provides grace.
He's the one that provides repentance. He's the one that provides everything. We cannot contribute anything. When we contribute, we're not
involved. I mean, it's just not going to
come to fruition. But when we're not in the mix, when he does
it on our behalf. All right, now notice verse 15.
And how shall they preach except they be sent? The scriptures
tell us that the Lord himself said, that pray ye the Lord of
the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into the harvest.
Now, he's the one that sends the laborers, and he's the one
that sends the laborers into the harvest, and they have a
message to go into the harvest with. it tells us here in verse
15 how shall they preach except they be sent as it is written
old testament scripture brought into the new testament part of
this message that the apostle paul is sharing with the saints
at rome how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel now here's the gospel of peace the gospel of peace
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. What a
wonderful thing it is to find out that in our salvation He
has provided us with a peace with God. The peace with God
we cannot provide. It is a peace that is provided
for us. God has poured out His wrath
on His own Son. He has treated Him as our substitute. Our sin has been imputed to Him
who knew no sin. And he paid the very last bit. In fact, he paid double, it says,
for all our unrighteousness. So, how shall they preach except
they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. It's our
responsibility to preach that peace is only through Jesus Christ.
But it is a peace. It is a peace that passes all
understanding. It is a peace that God gives
us to know that we shall be presented spotless, without any flaws. That is God's business to do
that. It is His requirement to do that. It is part of the covenant of
grace that he will do that. So he's going to preach peace
to us and that peace is with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has made peace. And then it tells us, and bring
glad tidings of good things. This is the gospel. It's not
preaching hell. It's not trying to scare people
into heaven by preaching hell. It is preaching the gospel. It
is preaching the gospel of peace to bring glad tidings of good
things. And when we read this, we can
find out that as we go through the ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ, when we go to the covenant of grace that is revealed to
us, as much of it is revealed to us in the scriptures, we're
going to find out that that covenant of grace had glad tidings of
good things for us. Though we were sinners, He takes
away sin. Though we're in a pit, He lifts
us out of the pit. Though we don't have any foundation,
He puts us on a foundation. Though we don't have a song to
sing, He gives us a new song in our heart. Though we don't
know which way to go, He establishes our going. So it's all good news
in the gospel. We have the best news possible
that He's a Savior that saves, and He's established peace, and
He's established, what does it say, glad tidings. It is not
a message of gloom and doom. It is a message of free and sovereign
grace. And that is what the preacher
is to preach. Now thanks be unto God when that
message is preached. that there is a crumbs of that
falls out into the lap of the lost. But our message is to preach
all that God has done on the behalf of his people, that he's
completed it all. When he said it is finished,
it is finished for all of his people. When he said he paid
the price for our sin, he paid for all our sin. When He satisfied
justice, He satisfied justice for us. When He satisfied righteousness,
He satisfied righteousness and imputes it to us. So we have
all these good blessings, and that is what we are to feed the
sheep. That's what we're to feed the church. We're to share the
greatness of God Almighty in Christ Jesus and all the rich
blessings that He provides. Turn with me to another place,
if you would, here in the New Testament, in the book of Ephesians,
chapter 4. In Ephesians, chapter 4, again,
this wonderful message is given. Nowhere do we find in the Scriptures
that there was a preaching of hell, fire, and damnation. We
know that that is a place prepared for the devil and his angels,
and that's a place that those on the left hand will go. But
God's people are saved by grace. And they're saved by the preaching
of peace. That God has established peace.
They're saved by the good news of the gospel. We're saved by
the blood of Christ. We're saved. That's a wonderful
thing, to have the knowledge that we are saved, that we've
been passed from death into life, that we have this life in us
because of Christ. Well, here in the book of Ephesians,
chapter 4, verse 11, as the gospel is declared, it says, and he
gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some
pastors and teachers. This is what God gave for the
church. He appointed In the Old Testament, he appointed prophets. We have the prophet Zechariah.
He was doing what he was called on to do. God called him to that
ministry, and God called him to write that book. This man
was a holy man of God. Now, he was not holy in his flesh.
He's holy before God. He was a sinner saved by grace.
But God called him holy men of God, spake as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit. God called him holy. The only
way he could be holy was to have the holiness of Christ. And so
he is God's person for the hour to preach the gospel in his time.
And we find when he preached to the church, he preached what?
Good news, peace. And as we read here, these that
were appointed, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
and pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, the building up of the body of Christ, the act of
one who promotes another's growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness,
and holiness. Now, what does that mean? We're
told that Christ fulfilled all of those offices, that it is
not us, but it is He that has provided for our wisdom our happiness,
our holiness, and that we are built by Christ to be edified,
as it tells us there, for the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body
of Christ. So we have this glorious message
that's been given since the very beginning. You know, when Abel
went out there and offered that sacrifice, A lot of things went
through his head before he offered that sacrifice. There was a relationship
with God that he had peace. There was a relationship with
God that he had been purchased. There was a relationship with
God that he had been redeemed. There was a relationship with
God that God was his Savior, that he was a sinner, and he
needed a Savior. And he's showing this by the
sacrifice that he presented. You know what? He heard the good
news. He heard the gospel. God brought it to him, and God
worked a work of grace with him. We look at his brother, and he
brought an offering that was not acceptable. Why? Because
God had not given him grace. God had not given him the good
news of the gospel. And we find out what happened
to him and how he went out. Now, we find that the comparison
between the false shepherds and the true shepherd, Jesus Christ,
is brought out in this chapter, the 11th chapter of the book
of Zechariah. So would you turn over there
with me again? As we think about these things, about how God instructed
his prophet, instructed his prophets, in fact, to bring this good news. What's it say there, Zechariah
chapter 10, verse 4? He said, here, feed the flock. feed the flock of the slaughter,
feed the children of God, feed those who are associated with
the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Feed those folks. They're my folks. They're my
sheep. They were lost sheep. Now they've
been found sheep. I brought them into the fold.
I have covered them. I have provided for them. I've
taken away their old rags and given them a robe of righteousness.
I've taken away their Stony heart and given them a heart of flesh.
I've given them the new birth. They've been Sanctified by me. They've been set apart by me.
They've been every spiritual thing that was required by God
has been provided That's the good news of the gospel now in
our natural state. It's not good news in our natural
state We don't want to hear Grace. We want to hear about something
that we do. I mentioned this sometimes in the past about when
the box cake mixes originally came out. You didn't have to
do anything. Just add water. Make it from
a dry pile into a moist pile and put it in the oven. You know,
it didn't work. People were not happy with it.
Well, They started doing some research and found out that people
wanted to do something to make it their cake. So they said,
add two eggs, or add an egg, or something. And so it is. Success was had. Box cake mixes
became a success. You didn't have to start from
scratch. You could just pour a box out. You could put some
oil. You could put some eggs in. You
could put some milk. And now it was your cake. Well, that's
the way it is in religion. We want it to be ours. We want
to have a hand in it. We want it to be our faith. We
want it to be our belief. We want it to be ours. The cake
mix is God's, and He is not going to ask us to provide anything.
We are going, it's not a potluck dinner, we're going to the marriage
supper of the Lamb, and He provides everything. He provides all the
grace, He provides all of the goodness of God, He provides
all the redemptive work, He provides all the cross work, He provides
everything, and so it is with Him. He's providing it all. Back
in the book of Zechariah, I believe it's there in verse seven, yes. And I will feed the flock of
the slaughter, even you. I will feed them. And you know
God has done that through all ages. He has fed His church. He has fed His people. It is
evidenced by them having faith in God, believing God, by faith. Abel offered a more acceptable
sacrifice. By faith Moses was not willing
to be called the son of Pharaoh. By faith Moses kept the Passover. By faith the children of Israel.
It was all the faith of God that he had given them that they could
do those very things. The false shepherds are going
to produce something else. And as we've read through here,
we're going to find that these shepherds have no interest in
the sheep. They have no interest except
in what they can get out of it. It says here in verse 3, there
is a voice of the howling of the shepherds, for their glory
is spoiled, a voice of roaring of the young lions, for the pride
of Jordan is spoiled. God's going to spoil those shepherds,
those false shepherds. But we have a good shepherd that's
mentioned here, and he calls out shepherds to preach the gospel
to his people. Verse 7, I will feed the flock
of the slaughter, even you, the poor the flock and I took upon
me two staves the one I called beauty and the other I called
bands and I fed the flock that's the words that we find with regard
to the Lord Jesus he does it through his preachers he does
it through his evangelists he does it through his prophets
this is what he does now he has two staves there it tells us
he has and we'll look at this more as time goes on he has two
rods or two staffs And one of them is speaking of what I call
beauty, and we'll look at what that means. And the other one
he calls bands. But you know what he does? His
rod and his staff, they comfort us. This is what he does with
those. He is the one that guides his
sheep. He's the one that calls his sheep. My sheep hear my voice
and they follow me. We have the glorious voice of
the Lord, and it is so in tune with this new creation in Christ
Jesus that He's able to lead the flock. He's able to bring
them out. He's able to call them, and He's
able to let them know where they stand before God. It's not a
mystery. It's not a mystery where they
stand before God. It is a knowledge of the church that they stand
before God in perfection. He has redeemed them. He's paid
the very last farthing. He has everything taken care
of. So as these fault shepherds are going to preach something
else, they're in it for their own. This shepherd, the good
shepherd who giveth his life for the sheep, he has these staves
that he guides and directs his flock with. And then it tells
us there, and they said, in verse 9, I will not feed you. What
a difference. You know, the Lord mentioned
during his own ministry. that a hireling a hireling will
quit. But this shepherd, the Lord Jesus
Christ, went to the cross on the behalf of His people. He's
the covenant Christ. He's the covenant God. So as
we look at this, we find that the gospel that we are fed is
good news. It's good news to us. It brings
us out of desperation. It is all of Him. It's all of
grace. He corrects our thinking. He
corrects our mind. And we truly are brought to Him.
And there we're going to feed. Even as he shared to a group
of people one time, they, without exception, wondered what he was
meaning when he said, except you drink my blood and eat my
flesh, you have no part with me. Well, some said, how can
that happen? And down the road a little ways,
a group of people said, oh, we've got this figured out. We're going
to take this blood, this wine, and we're going to convert it
to blood. And we're going to take this toast and we're going
to convert it to the flesh of Jesus. And we're going to eat
it that way. that's not what he meant in any form he meant
it spiritually that God's people feast on the blessings of the
shed blood of Christ and God's people feast on the broken body
of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ in a sense that it is
so close to us so it's so nourishing to us and so we're not going
to fall for the literal we're going to go to the spiritual
he is our Shed blood he is our broken body on the behalf of
us, and that's what we'll look to so We're gonna stop right
there tonight, and we'll pick up this and look at this chapter
11 with a little more As we go through verse by verse and we'll
look at this and see that Jesus Christ is the one that is mentioned
and he's mentioning that there are those who will not feed the
flock because they don't have the food and and then there are
those who will feed the flock because they follow the good
shepherd and the good shepherd has the guidance he has the word
that is our guide he has all of this and he's laid out and
his people will follow him and uh... even as the in the old
testament there they'll follow the cloud and they'll follow
the fire just like the children of israel did as he moves us
closer and closer every day to our redemption drawing nigh Well,
thank you for joining us. May God bless you.