Sermon Notes - Zechariah 1:7-2-13 - Rising Sun Baptist Church - September 13, 2026

1.        Open your Bibles to Zechariah chapter 1.

2.        Last week was a great introduction to a book that might have us scratch our heads now and again.

3.        I suspect there has been a time in all of our lives where we wonder what is going on.

a.        It may feel like hitting a rough patch.

b.       Wondering if things can get much worse.

c.        Maybe struggling to stay afloat with relationships, work, or financial challenges.

4.        Maybe even wondering if God has forgotten you…

a.        You might be sitting here this morning and hearing others being excited about how God is working in their lives.

b.       Yet you are wondering if you are doing something wrong because you don’t see Him working in yours.

5.        The people of Israel were feeling that way.

a.        They had been exiled.

b.       Called back to Jerusalem.

c.        But with all the threats around them.

d.       They were wondering what was going on.

e.        Had God forgotten them.

6.        Let’s open our Bibles and see what God had given Zechariah.

7.        Zechariah 1:7

a.        It has been roughly 3 months since what we covered last week.

8.        Then the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah.

a.        It is believed that the 8-night visions we will look at over the next several weeks all came in one night.

b.       Consensus is that Zechariah was awake for them.

c.        Which is why they are visions and not dreams.  

9.        Zechariah 1:8-10

a.        These first couple of verses give us the lay of the land.

b.       Zechariah sees a man on a horse.

c.        Others were on horses behind him.

d.       Then there is this man among the myrtle trees.

10.   Zechariah 1:11-12

11.   Your Bible should have LORD in all caps.

a.        When LORD is fully capitalized, it is in place of God’s name.

b.       If only the L is capitalized, it is a title.

c.        No caps at all would be pointing to a human leader.

12.   Those riding the horses responded to the angel of the LORD.

a.        Who then prayed to the LORD of Armies.

b.       All caps in both of those.

c.        We have God’s messengers, the horse riders.

d.       Reporting to Jesus, the one standing among the myrtle trees.

e.        Who then calls out to the Father.

13.   We are told that the world is at rest, but Jesus calls out and asks… re-read vs. 12.

a.        Why were the people still living under judgement?

b.       Why were they not seeing the blessings of being restored?

c.        The exile was over, yet the people still lived in fear.

14.   They were wondering when the promised restoration would come?

15.   Zechariah 1:13-14

a.        Today, when we hear someone is jealous, it tends to paint a negative picture.

b.       But when God is jealous it is out of His love for His people.

c.        It is a righteous jealousy.

d.       One that grows out of a covenant relationship between God and His people.

e.        A covenant that was in place then.

f.          Which has been replaced with an even greater covenant brought about by Jesus.

16.   The first part of God’s message to Zechariah is Him declaring His love for the people of Jerusalem and those of Zion.

a.        Jerusalem and Zion are normally referring to the same place.

b.       Jerusalem means the city.

c.        Zion more specifically points to those who worship God in Jerusalem.

17.   Zechariah 1:15

a.        Yes, God used the nations to punish His people.

b.       Yes, that was supposed to last for seventy years.

c.        Yes, they did their job.

d.       But God’s anger has grown because they went too far.

e.        It is a fallen world.

f.          They were given an inch and they took a mile.

g.        And God’s anger had shifted from His people to the surrounding nations.

18.   Zechariah 1:16-17

a.        God is with His people.

b.       Restoration is coming.

c.        Which brings His blessings on those who return to Jerusalem.

d.       Those worshipping in Zion.

e.        They will live in a place of prosperity.

f.          They will rebuild the temple, a place to worship and honor God.

19.   One of the major points of this vision, is that our God is with us.

a.        He knows everything.

b.       He knew what Israel was going through.

c.        He knows what we are dealing with.

d.       He knew their doubts and fears.

20.   He knows our thoughts, doubts, and fears.

a.        We may be like the people and wonder where God is.

b.       But Scripture tells us that He has not forgotten us.

c.        He restored His people back.

d.       He blessed them.

e.        We may question it.

f.          But as His children, we too will be restored and blessed.

21.   Our God is faithful.

a.        No matter what we are going through.

b.       His Word is True.

c.        Jesus died for all who believe.

d.       He has granted us a wonderful forever.

e.        He holds our hope secure.

22.   No matter the circumstances we are facing.

a.        We can trust that our God is faithful.

23.   As we move to the second vision, we see things start to shift.

24.   Zechariah 1:18-19

a.        In Scripture, a horn symbolizes power.

b.       We have four horns representing the nations that surrounded God’s people.

c.        Those that had the power to conquer the nation and drag them away.

d.       Those that continued to harass them.

25.   Zechariah 1:20-21

a.        Fortunes will be reversed.

b.       Those who persecuted God’s people, will be cut down.

c.        They will no longer have power.

26.   God’s people on the other hand will be restored.

a.        As the craftsmen rebuild the Temple of God.

b.       As the people honor God.

c.        As the cities are restored.

d.       The nations will see the Power of God at work.

e.        It will terrify them.

27.   It is not the power of the broken people.

a.        It is the power of God at work when His people follow Him.

28.   1 Corinthians 1:26-31

a.        Just like the people needing to return to God.

b.       We need to put our Hope in Jesus.

c.        To follow Him.

d.       To serve Him.

e.        Then He will do amazing things.

f.          We may not see it.

g.        The fruit may not be evident until we are in eternity.

h.        But our God works through us.

i.          He takes our weakness and turns it into strength.

j.          He takes our brokenness and restores us.

k.        It is not because of anything we do.

l.          It is because we are His.

m.     That we belong to Him.

29.   Same as was prophesied through Zechariah.

a.        Return to God and let the craftsmen work.

b.       A message that continues.

30.   Zechariah 2:1-2

a.        If you are going to leave a ruined heap a ruined heap, you don’t measure it.

b.       This tells us something exciting is about to happen.

c.        Restoration is coming.

31.   Zechariah 2:3-4

a.        We are starting to see bits of the picture.

b.       A rebuilt city that is blessed by God.

c.        Will be blessed beyond anything they had seen before.

d.       Because God’s hand will be upon them.

32.   Zechariah 2:5

a.        In the past God’s glory filled the temple.

b.       Here we are seeing that He will fill the temple, the city, and protect the people.

c.        Restoration brings something greater.

33.   Zechariah 2:6-7

a.        There is urgency here.

b.       Flee Babylon.

c.        Return to your rightful home.

d.       God is at work and time is limited.

34.   Zechariah 2:8-9

a.        Escape from where you were exiled.

b.       Return to your homes.

c.        Judgement is coming.

35.   So far in this third vision, we have seen…

a.        God preparing to restore them.

b.       Committing to be with them.

c.        To protect them.

d.       And calling them home.

36.   Hopefully you are seeing a connection here.

a.        God wants to bless all people, by giving them a future and a hope.

b.       God has promised to be with us.

c.        Emanual, one of Jesus’ names, means God with us.

d.       When we turn to God.

e.        When we repent of our sins and surrender to Jesus.

f.          He is with us.

g.        He holds our hope secure forever.

h.        He protects our eternity.

37.   As we read through this vision, there is a level of urgency.

a.        Judgement is going to fall on the nations.

b.       We can say the same today, judgement will come.

c.        We don’t know when our address is going to change to the other side of Eternity.

d.       We don’t know when Jesus is going to return.

e.        The message is urgent.

f.          Don’t delay.

g.        Turn to Jesus.

38.   Zechariah 2:10-12

a.        Rejoice!

b.       Celebrate!

c.        God is coming.

d.       His promise was to be with the people.

e.        But we see that it is beyond that.

f.          God is going to restore Israel.

g.        Then many nations will ‘join themselves to the LORD.”

39.   This is a reminder of a promise that God had made.

a.        Genesis 12:1-3

b.       A promise to Abraham.

c.        A promise to the nation of Israel.

d.       And a promise to us.

e.        That through Jerusalem and Judah God’s salvation will come.

f.          Jerusalem is the city of David.

g.        David was of the tribe of Judah.

h.        Jesus is a descendant of David and He is the Lion of Judah.

40.   God was going to restore His people in more ways than one.

a.        Even though they could not see it.

b.       They needed to have faith.

c.        To shout for joy.

41.   Zechariah 2:13

a.        God’s people are to rejoice.

b.       The rest of the world is to be silent.

c.        What God was saying here is that they needed to stop rebelling against God.

42.   Today we would say, they need to realize who Jesus is before it is too late.  

a.        They needed to stop sinning.

43.   The message was clear.

a.        Now is the time to repent and return to God.

b.       Now is the time to give your life to Jesus.

c.        You don’t want to delay.

44.   The question we have to answer is, are we going to trust in God’s Word?

a.        Are we going to believe that through Jesus we can be saved?

b.       That through Jesus we receive a glorious future?

45.   Are we going to have faith and accept the gift of restoration, even though we cannot see it yet?

46.   Thoughts for the road;

a.        To help us remember God is at work in us, I encourage you to reflect on God’s faithfulness in your life. Remembering all that He has done.

b.       We were reminded that it is God’s power that changes us. What in your life needs to change? Search Scripture for verses that speak to that situation and then pray it each day, asking God to help you.

c.        We don’t know how much time we have left, and we know that God wishes that none will perish. Pray for those that don’t know Jesus. Pray that RSBC can witness to those in Auxvasse, Hatton, Stephens, those who live in between, and beyond.

47.   As we go through these verses in the Old Testament, we see God’s ultimate plan.

a.        A plan that was promised in Genesis and hits full fruition in Revelation.

b.       A plan that was needed because of the sin in the world.

c.        The sin that each one of us has.

d.       In one way or another, each of us have turned our back on God.

e.        We have sinned.

f.          We are lost.

g.        Which is why Jesus came.

h.        Lived a sinless life.

i.          Became the only sacrifice that could pay for our debt.

j.          He then rose from the dead to give us new life.

k.        A gift we receive by believing.

l.          Believe that He died for us.

m.     Believe that if we follow Him we will be saved.

n.        That our faith in Him will give us forever in His presence.

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

p.       If you don’t know Jesus.

q.       Don’t delay.

r.          Choose Him today.

s.        If that is you, please come to the altar during our next song.

48.   If you are ready to follow Jesus in baptism or join RSBC, please talk to me.