Zechariah
8:9-17
Land
of the Free and Home of the Brave
Zec 8:9 Thus saith the LORD of
hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the
mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house
of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
Zec 8:10 For before these days there
was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him
that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one
against his neighbour.
Zec 8:11 But now I will not be unto
the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of
hosts.
Zec 8:12 For the seed shall be
prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her
increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of
this people to possess all these things.
Zec 8:13 And it shall come to pass,
that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of
Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your
hands be strong.
Zec 8:14 For thus saith the LORD of
hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath,
saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:
Zec 8:15 So again have I thought in
these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye
not.
Zec 8:16 These are the things that
ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the
judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
Zec 8:17 And let none of you imagine
evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all
these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
1. How
Do You Rebuild a People?
a. For
a People to Renew They Must be Strong – vs. 9*
i. How
does one build lasting strength?
1. Give
it all you got - 2 Corinthains
4:17-18
2. Be
ready to listen to God’s word - James 1:21-25
3. Be
thorough - Ezra 6:13-16
b. For
a People to Renew They Must Put the Past Behind Them – vs. 10*
i. Those
who turn their backs on God, will experience His judgment
1. Because
they had built themselves nice houses while leaving the temple a ruin, God was
going to judge them with:
a.
Haggai
1:2-4
b. Rapid
inflation - Haggai 1:6
c. Rise
in violent crime - Judges
5:6-7
d. Continuous
Conflict - James 4:1-2
c. For
a People to Renew They Must Put Their Faith in God – vs. 11*
i. In
the same way God does not give up on Israel, He will not give up on us, even though
we deserve it.
1.
Isaiah
49:14-16
d. For
a People to Renew They Must be Grateful to God – vs. 12*
i. It
is God that enables us to prosper
1. He
grows the plants so that they give their fruits - Psalm 67:6-7
2. He
makes the ground to be productive - Proverbs 3:9-10
3. He
brings the rain to water the crops - Isaiah 30:23
4. He
enables us to overcome - Deuteronomy
30:19-20
e. For
a People to Renew They Must be Unafraid – vs. 13*
i. Once
upon a time you were a byword among the unbelieving
1.
Jeremiah
24:9
ii. Just
like God did for Israel He will:
1. Save
you - Psalm 126:1-3
2. Make
you a blessing - Isaiah
2:2-3
iii. So
therefore, you must:
1. Be
Unafraid - 1 Corinthians
16:13
2. Press
on and do not quit - Isaiah
35:3-4
f. For
a People to Renew They Must Realize Even Though They Deserved God’s Wrath They have
Received His Mercy – vs. 14-15*
i. God
is angry with you for your father’s sake. We are all under the curse that Adam
brought upon us.
1.
1 Corinthians
15:22
ii. Even
though you deserve judgement; God chose to give you life for the sake of His
Son’s Jesus.
1.
John
3:16-18
g. For
a People to Renew They Must Love Equal Justice for All – vs. 16-17*
i. The
foundation of any good society is the truth, without it all fails
1.
Psalm
15:1-2
ii. A
truthful society will produce righteous judgement for all, out of which flows
lasting peace in all places of government.
1.
Micah
6:8
iii. The
wicked come up with ways to take advantage of others, through dishonest gain.
1.
Micah
2:1-2
iv. The
Lord hates covenant breakers
1.
2 Timothy
3:1-4; Psalm 19:14
