Sermon Notes - Zechariah 7 & 8 - Heart - Rising Sun Baptist Church - October 18, 2026

1.        If you got them, please open your Bibles to Zechariah chapter 7.

a.        If you need a Bible please help yourself to a pew Bible.

b.       If there is not one in front of you raise your hand and we can get you one.

2.        We just sang #127 in our hymnals, The Heart of Worship.

a.        This song was written by Matt Redman back in the 90s.

b.       At that time his home church was struggling.

c.        They had a great worship team.

d.       They were putting on some wonderful performances.

e.        But it seemed they had lost sight of what worship is.

f.          They had forgotten it was not about the solos and how big of a number it could be.

g.        It was about worshipping God.

h.        When we sing songs each Sunday morning, it is about preparing our hearts to hear the Word of God taught.

i.          Matt Redman’s pastor took action, and the church re-discovered what worship was about.

3.        As we transition in Zechariah, the people of Israel are in a similar situation.

a.        Their actions have been about going through the motions.

b.       Checking things off the list.

4.        Let’s pickup in in chapter 7, roughly 2 years after the night visions.

5.        Zechariah 7:1-3

a.        This is December 7, 518 BC.

b.       The temple is being rebuilt, but it is about 2 years before it will be complete.

c.        We have people from Bethel, a town about 12 miles away, come to the priests.

d.       Seeking God’s blessing.

e.        Wondering if they needed to continue fasting like they had been doing?

6.        The history behind this was that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple about 70 years earlier.

a.        Now that the temple was being rebuilt.

b.       Did they need to fast and mourn over its destruction.

c.        We are also going to touch on the fast in the 7^th month.

d.       Which was remembering the assassination of Gedaliah who was a Governor that Nebuchadnezzar had put in place.

7.        The heart of the question is, if God is restoring His people, do they still need to ‘mourn and fast’?

a.        Seems like a reasonable question.

8.        Zechariah 7:4-7

a.        The questions that God spoke through the prophet Zechariah are pretty direct.

b.       What was the motive of all their fasting these last 70 years?

c.        How about when they celebrated Passover, the feast of the tabernacles, and others.

d.       What was in their hearts?

e.        Were they listening to the prophets that those before the exile ignored?

f.          Joel 2:12-13

g.        God is not interested in routines.

h.        He is not worried about ritualistic practices.

i.          Even in the OT.

9.        God was and is looking for people who seek Him.

a.        He wants those that believe in Him to follow His teachings.

b.       To grow as believers.

c.        Today we would say He is looking for us to be disciples.

d.       To work through the sanctification process.

e.        Where we shed our old selves and are transformed into the new creation we became.

f.          All by the power of the Holy Spirit.

10.   Zechariah 7:8-10

a.        Love God.

b.       Follow His teachings.

c.        And Love Others.

d.       It is not just about the actions.

e.        Its not about putting on a good face and muscling through.

11.   God was looking into their hearts.

a.        Checking their motives.

12.   1 Corinthians 4:5

a.        God will reveal the intentions of our hearts.

b.       Our motives.

c.        If we are praising Him in action alone, God knows.

d.       If we are praising Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength… He knows.

13.   Zechariah 7:11-14

a.        Those from before the exile, did not honor God.

b.       Did not listen to His teachings or His messengers.

c.        They hardened their hearts.

d.       They turned their back on God.

e.        And the results were not good.

14.   While these words are referencing when Nebuchadnezzar came and took the people away.

a.        They apply to us.

b.       If we reject the Word of God.

c.        Ignore His teachings.

d.       And do not follow Him.

e.        We have a horrible forever in front of us.

f.          Judgement will fall on us.

g.        We will spend our eternity in the lake of fire.

15.   But let’s keep reading as we move into chapter 8.

16.   Zechariah 8:1-3

a.        LORD in all caps, God is speaking through Zechariah.

b.       When we see that God is jealous here it tells us two things.

c.        The first is that He will protect His people, which we have seen as He judges those who have persecuted them.

d.       It also tells us that He will judge those who claim to be His but who rejected Him.

e.        We saw that when He was cleaning house.

17.   God’s glory is going to return.

a.        The temple will be completed.

b.       God will be with His people.

c.        They will once again follow Him.

d.       Living according to His Word.

18.   Zechariah 8:4-6

a.        God is promising prosperity.

b.       It might have been hard for them to grasp as they return from exile.

c.        But for the older people to live long lives.

d.       And children to be carefree once again.

e.        God’s hand would have been upon His people.

19.   When we seek God.

a.        When our focus is on Him.

b.       When we follow His will.

c.        We see Him at work.

d.       I am not saying all of our prayers are answered how we want them.

e.        But we do see God at work in us and around us.

20.   Zechariah 8:7-8

a.        A better way of reading this would be.

b.       That God will restore His people from the land where the sun rises to where it sets.

c.        God will bring His people home from wherever they were scattered.

d.       Read highlight in verse 8.

e.        What a wonderful thought.

f.          A common theme in the time of Moses.

g.        But also one that points to the New Covenant we have because of what Jesus has done for us.

h.        When we repent and give our lives to Jesus, we become children of God.

21.   Zechariah 8:9

a.        Let your hands be strong.

b.       Have courage.

c.        Trust in God.

d.       Trust in His Word.

e.        Know that God is with you, pointing to Emanuel.

22.   Every bit of that is true for us.

a.        When we give our lives to Jesus.

b.       We can stand strong.

c.        We are to have courage.

d.       We know that Jesus is with us.

e.        The Holy Spirit guides us.

23.   Zechariah 8:10-11

a.        Before God’s hand returned to His people.

b.       It was rough.

c.        Finances were tight.

d.       The people were being attacked by those surrounding them.

e.        It was not pleasant.

24.   But all of that was about to change.

a.        The judgement that started with the exile was over.

25.   Zechariah 8:12-13

a.        God is showing mercy to His people.

b.       Blessing upon blessing.

c.        Peace.

d.       Salvation.

e.        Provision.

f.          And then will be a blessing.

g.        Pointing back to the promise made to Abraham.

h.        Genesis 12:3

i.          A promise that points forward to Jesus.

26.   Zechariah 8:14-15

a.        The generation before, those who were around before the exile.

b.       They were called to repent.

c.        But they turned their back on God.

d.       They deserved judgement they received.

e.        But God is faithful.

f.          He promised to save His people, and He did.

g.        He has promised to restore His people, and that is exactly what He was doing.

27.   These are truths that we should hold on to.

a.        When we turn to Jesus as our Lord.

b.       We are saved from our past.

c.        From what we have done.

d.       Then our God restores us.

e.        Transforms us.

f.          Renews us.

g.        God transforms us into His children.

h.        He transforms the larger group of us, to be a blessing to others.

28.   Zechariah 8:16-17

a.        This is not a list of ten commandments.

b.       It is not the 613 commandments found in the Law.

c.        Everything listed in these two verses comes from a person’s heart.

d.       Having the temple rebuilt is great.

e.        Singing songs of praise is a wonderful thing.

f.          Fasting to focus on God is a good thing.

g.        Feasting or celebrating what God has done is a way to praise Him.

h.        But the heart is what matters.

29.   Luke 6:45

a.        If we love God with all that we are.

b.       And love others as ourselves.

c.        It will be seen in how we live.

d.       We will speak truth.

e.        We will seek good for our neighbors.

30.   God wanted His people to follow Him.

a.        To seek Him.

b.       And that still the same for us today.

31.   Zechariah 8:18-19

a.        A couple of other fasts are added here.

b.       Likely refereeing to when the Babylonian army started its siege of Jerusalem and later the breaching of its walls.

c.        The message here is that while these things were hard to live through.

d.       The fasts were not meant to be filled with sorrow and despair.

e.        They are to be times of celebration.

f.          Remembering those events.

g.        But more importantly, remembering what God has done since then.

32.   When I think about this, life is rough.

a.        We may face hardships for choosing Jesus.

b.       But the eternal Hope we have in Jesus is beyond AWESOME.

c.        The gift significantly outweighs the cost.

33.   The last part of verse 19, read underline.

a.        This was God telling them that they needed to change.

b.       Reminds me of Jesus telling the woman accused of adultery to go and sin no more.

c.        Restoration was coming to the land.

d.       Forgiveness is given to all who believe in Jesus.

e.       In both instances, it is to change who they are.

f.          They had done nothing worthy of God’s hand to be upon them.

g.        And we are not saved by what we do.

h.        But they and we need to live our faith.

34.   Zechariah 8:20-21

a.        As other exiles return and see what God is doing in Jerusalem.

b.       They will return to God.

35.   Zechariah 8:22

a.        Those still scattered will come to Jerusalem.

b.       They will be blessed.

c.        This too is a reminder of the promise to Abraham we touched on earlier.

d.       That the people of earth will be blessed through Him.

e.        That we will be blessed by Jesus.

36.   Zechariah 8:23

a.        In the future.

b.       In our future.

c.        Revelation 7:9-10

d.       People from all over the world will seek Jesus.

e.        Knowing that He is God.

f.          That He is salvation to all who believe in Him.

37.   What a wonderful future that will be!

38.   What matters is that our hearts are focused on our Jesus.

39.   Thoughts for the road:

a.        Do we have any rituals that we hold on to, things we might do because we always have? Ask God to show them to you, to us, so that we can make sure our eyes are on Him.

b.       Psalm 139:23-24; Zechariah 8:19; ‘love truth and peace’ or John 8:11 ‘go and sin no more’; pray these verses. Asking God to show you what in your heart needs to change.

c.        We have an amazing future before us, but others are facing a horrible eternity. Ask God to change you in a way that will touch those who do not know Jesus?

40.   The people of God were being restored a little more than 500 years before Jesus was born.

a.        Today, that restoration comes through Jesus.

b.       If we recognize that we are a sinner.

c.        That Jesus is God and that He died for our sins.

d.       Defeated death.

e.        And rose again giving us an amazing forever.

f.          If we believe this, repent of our sins, and give our lives to Jesus we are saved.

g.        If you do not know Jesus this morning.

h.        And would like to begin the most amazing journey.

i.          I invite you to come forward during our closing song.

j.          If you have something in your life you need prayer over, I invite you up.

k.        The altar is always open.

41.   If you feel you are ready to join RSBC or are interested in baptism, talk to me after service.