Sermon Notes - Zechariah 1:1-6 Turn to Jesus - Rising Sun Baptist Church - September 6, 2026

1.        If you go to Matthew and back up two books, you will be at Zechariah.

a.        Which is where we are going to spend the next couple of months.

2.        Zechariah’s prophesies were first given around 520 BC

a.        Roughly 20 years after the first Jews returned from exile in Babylon.

b.       Which puts it after Daniel.

c.        And around the same time is prophet Haggai was prophesying.

3.        The people had been called to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and the temple.

a.        But things had not been going well.

b.       The neighboring nations did not want them to build the temple.

c.        They Jews let these struggles get the better of them and then they become complacent.

d.       They did not make doing what God wanted them to do a priority.

4.        God speaks to Zechariah and Haggai to help them see that they have a glorious future.

a.        He calls them to repentance.

b.       Points to the coming kingdom of God.

c.        Talks about the restoration of the temple.

d.       The overthrowing of hostile nations around them.

e.        And the return of our Lord, the Messiah.

5.        God was at work in Zechariah and the people.

a.        Something I hope we can relate to.

6.        A question you might ask is, does Zechariah point to Jesus?

a.        Absolutely it does.

b.       Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

c.        Judas’ betrayal for 30 pieces of silver.

d.       Jesus being pierced while on the cross.

e.        And more are found in the prophecies of Zechariah.

f.          In Matthew 26, Jesus quotes the prophet Zechariah. 

g.        And there are several pieces of Zechariah that tie to the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

7.        While these prophecies were given over 500 years before Jesus’ birth, but they do point to our Lord and Savior.

a.        Which makes studying them all the more important.

8.        In fact, the entire Old Testament is part of the story of our God’s plan to offer salvation.

a.        From the creation story until the last Amen found in Revelation.

b.       We find the story of our God’s love for us.

c.        A love story that is woven through the pages of Scripture.

d.       A story that gives us hope eternal through our Jesus.

e.        And the OT Prophet Zechariah is a piece of that story.

9.        Philippians 3:17

a.        Paul was encouraging the church to look to the people of faith who came before them.

b.       Use them as examples.

c.        Looking at how they lived their faith.

d.       How they prayed.

e.        How they read Scripture.

f.          How they attended church.

g.        How they showed love to others.

10.   Paul encouraged us to follow them as examples in living our faith.

a.        Those we would call good examples.

11.   Now we do have to be careful.

a.        There are some people in our lives that we might not want to imitate.

b.       That crazy uncle that was a lot of fun, but his life did not turn out the best.

c.        Maybe we remember an aunt who faithfully attended church, but looking back we can see that she was always angry.

12.   We all have good examples and bad examples in our lives.

a.        Some will help us grow in our faith.

b.       Others are more likely to derail us.

c.        We have to make sure we follow the good examples.

13.   As we join Zechariah and the people of Israel who have returned to Jerusalem we see that they need to choose which examples they are going to follow.

14.   The first verse sets the stage.

15.   Zechariah 1:1

a.        Normally Jewish writers would reference a Jewish leader to help orient people to the time they were in.

b.       Darius is the ruler at that time, but he is a foreign king.

c.        What that tells us is that even 20 years after returning from exile, it is still weighing heavily on the people.

d.       This exile that was brought about because the people did not listen to God.

e.        Jeremiah 25:4-12

f.          The people did not obey God.

g.        And they paid a heavy price.

h.        And here they are seventy years later still under foreign rule.

16.   We also see in this first verse that God spoke through him.

a.        Re-read 1:1b

b.       With this statement.

c.        There is no doubt that Zechariah was sent by God.

d.       The words he spoke, were given to him by God.

e.        This is confirmed in Ezra 5:1.

f.          The words we are going to study came through Zechariah, but they are from God.

17.   Zechariah 1:2

a.        We just looked at some verses out of Jeremiah.

b.       God was angry.

c.        Extremely angry.

18.   These were God’s chosen people.

a.        The descendants of those who God took out of Egypt.

b.       The descendants of those who Joshua led into the promised land.

c.        The descendants of people who witnessed miracle after miracle.

d.       And God was extremely angry with them.

e.        They did not obey God.

f.          They did not follow His commands.

g.        They worshipped other Gods.

h.        They let things get between them and their God.

19.   Put another way, they sinned.

a.        They may have been going through the motions.

b.       But they did not honor God with their lives.

c.        They paid the price.

d.       And here they are years later picking up the pieces.

20.   The question is… are they following the good examples or the bad ones.

a.        Were they following those who faithfully took the promised land.

b.       Or those who turned their back on God?

21.   Zechariah 1:3

a.        The people in Jerusalem did not follow Godly examples.

b.       The sins of the past may have brought them to the point they were at.

c.        But their own sins were stacking up.

d.       They had stopped building the temple.

e.        They were not doing what God had told them to do.

22.   It was no longer the sins of those who came before them.

a.        It was their own sins.

23.   We may think about that bad example or maybe a troubling family history.

a.        Those things do impact us.

b.       Sins of others can influence the situation we find ourselves in.

c.        But there comes a point where those sins do not matter.

24.   The sins of my father impacted my life in many ways.

a.        But I will not answer for those sins, he will.

b.       I have to answer for my life.

c.        The sins I commit.

25.   The people in Jerusalem had this heavy cloud hanging over their heads.

a.        It was weighing them down.

b.       They were letting others impact their faithfulness.

26.   They were being called to return to God.

a.        They were called to repent.

b.       Going through the motions of building the temple would not be enough.

c.        Working hard to turn things around is not what God was asking for.

d.       He was calling the people to return to Him.

27.   The same call that is made to all who walk this earth.

a.        Return to God.

b.       Repent of our sins.

c.        And be saved by the blood of the Lamb.

28.   In other words, surrender to Jesus the Lord and Savior of all.

a.        We all have sin in our lives and need to surrender to Him.

29.   Zechariah 1:4

a.        Don’t listen to that crazy uncle.

b.       Don’t be like that angry aunt.

c.        Don’t follow those bad examples.

d.       That uncle who flat out rejected God, would be like the ancestors who did not follow God’s commands.

e.        They did not listen to the teachings of Moses.

f.          The angry aunt might be like those who heard the prophets.

g.        Heard what was being said by God.

h.        But chose not to listen.

i.          To not head the warnings they had received.

30.   We all follow others to some level.

a.        Choose wisely.

31.   Ask God to show you who to follow.

32.   Choose those who live their faith.

a.        Those who talk it and walk it.

33.   Then it is up to you.

a.        Are you going to respond when God calls you?

b.       When He calls you to return to Him.

c.        To repent of your sins.

d.       Choose Jesus each and every day.

e.        Ask Him to forgive you.

f.          Seek His will.

g.        Grow in Godly knowledge and wisdom.

h.        Trust in God, not the things of the world.

i.          Trust in Jesus and the hope that He has given you.

34.   Zechariah 1:5

a.        Their ancestors have died.

b.       The prophets of old are no longer around.

c.        Life is short.

d.       Don’t ignore the message for returning to God.

35.   Those in Jerusalem heard that they needed to make a choice.

a.        Where they going to listen to Zechariah and Haggai.

b.       Where they going to head the call to repentance or not.

c.        Time was limited.

d.       They had to choose.

36.   Today, the message is the same.

a.        We don’t know how much time we have.

b.       We know life is short.

c.        There will be a time when every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

d.       The question is, will we confess Jesus is our Lord in time or not.

e.        Will we recognize that we need Jesus on this side of eternity or will it be too late on the other side?

37.   John 3:16-18

a.        God does not want any to perish.

b.       Jesus died on that cross so that all who believe can be saved.

c.        But it requires us to believe.

d.       To confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord.

e.        To give our life to Him.

f.          Believe and be saved for all eternity.

g.        If you don’t repent.

h.        If you don’t believe.

i.          You will face judgement and be condemned.

38.   Zechariah 1:6a (through ancestors?)

a.        Did the word of God come true?

b.       Isaiah 55:10-11

c.        The words God gave through the prophets came true.

d.       Moses prophesied that the people of God would receive the promised land, they did.

e.        Jeremiah prophesied that the people would be exiled for 70 years and then return to Jerusalem, both are true.

39.   The Word of God is always true.

a.        Believe and be saved, true.

b.       Ignore God, and face eternity without Him, also true.

40.   Zechariah 1:6b

a.        The people heard God through Zechariah and repented.

b.       Haggai 1:12-14

c.        They heard God through Haggai and followed His leading.

41.   How about you?

a.        Are you going to follow the good examples and live your life for Jesus or are you going to follow the other examples?

b.       Love God with all that you are?

c.        Love Others?

d.       Or walk away?

42.   Which leads us to our thoughts for the road

a.        Whose example are you following? Ask God if you need to make adjustments.

b.       Are there sins in your life that are holding you back, things you need to repent of? Repent and turn from your sin and turn to Jesus.

c.        God’s Word does not return empty, trust in it and share it. Pray that God will give you a truth from His Word to share with someone this week.

43.   We are in the Old Testament and reading about belief and repentance.

a.        That is the same message that Jesus taught.

b.       The verses in John 3 told us that if we believe we are saved.

c.        If we do not, we are condemned.

d.       It truly is that simple.

e.        Put your trust in Jesus.

f.          Repent of your sins.

g.        And have a glorious future with Him forever.

h.        Or don’t and spend forever condemned.

i.          God gave His son Jesus to die for us.

j.          Which He did on a cross.

k.        Paying our debt in full.

l.          Then He rose again granting new life to all who believe in Him.

m.     The Word of God is clear, it is trustworthy.

n.        Believe and be saved.

o.        Are you ready to believe?

p.       To put your trust in Jesus?

q.       If so please come forward during our closing song.

44.   If you are ready to follow Jesus in baptism or would like to talk about joining RSBC, please come talk to me.