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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Malcolm Douglas

By His Spirit

Really believe that we need to ask for God's Spirit yet again And so I'd like to invite you if you would to just pray with me spend some time with God So let's pray together Father in heaven there is nothing good in us we are nothing without Jesus we are nothing without you we are but dust But somehow through your great love for us, you desire to do great things in us, to us, through us, and for us.

And so I pray, dear Father, that your Holy Spirit will be here, that your divine presence will be known, and that your divine word will be heard and preached and spoken so dear father answer according to your will for this we pray in Jesus name amen I hope you brought your Bible I'm sure you brought your phone so we should be good Please take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Zechariah.

Zechariah, we're going to look at quite a bit of Bible this morning, but I hear that that's okay.

Zechariah chapter 1, Zechariah chapter 1.

Actually, before we read Zechariah chapter 1, let's read our main passage this morning, Zechariah chapter 4, and then we will go to verse, chapter 1.

I still hear a few pages don't worry I believe in grace.

The Bible says, "'Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, "'This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel saying not by might nor by power But by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts Keep this in mind because we're gonna get there.

We're gonna move a little quickly here because there's quite a bit I wanna cover.

Zechariah chapter 1, and I'm gonna start, well, let's start in verse 1 because I think this sets the stage.

1 verse 1, the Bible says, in the eighth month, In the second year of, help me out, what does it say?

Came the word of Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Abrakiah, the son of Ido, the prophet.

The Bible says, this is the intention of the book of Zechariah, the largest of the minor prophets.

Zechariah chapter 1, starting in verse 13.

The Bible says, and the Lord answered the angel, it talked with me, and what kind of words did he want to speak?

Good words and, help me out, comfortable words.

I don't know about you, but I believe, having experienced the last year and a half in the world that we live in, we need good words.

Dare I say, we need comforting words, and we need words that will encourage us and strengthen us in order to do what God has actually called us to do.

And so I believe that Zechariah's message is present truth for our time.

It is a message that needs to be heard and re-heard, repeated and internalized until we actually live and understand these words.

There is something that is happening that is very significant and important in the history of ancient Israel in the second year of Darius.

Now we all know where Daniel is, so keep your hand in Zechariah because we're gonna come right back here in a moment But we're gonna look at a few other passages go with me to Daniel chapter 5 and starting in verse 31 Daniel chapter 5 and verse 31 We know Daniel is alive.

He is Older in his years all old people say amen All right, young people say praise God for old people All right, we're gonna have to work on you guys.

I'm telling you man come to my church, we got a few older people And Darius the Medan took the kingdom being about 3 score and 2 years old.

Now, here's what's interesting That's what it says in verse 31.

So Daniel lives unto into the time of Darius So there's some contemporaneous History going on here go with me to Daniel chapter 9 Daniel chapter 9 we're looking at verse 1 and 2 Daniel 9 verse 1 and 2 the Bible says in the first year of Darius the son of has you as a Hagiares the seed of the Medes which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans in the first year of his reign.

I, Daniel, understood by books the number of the years whereof The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolation of Jerusalem There was a prophecy whereby Jeremiah said That they would be in captivity for how long it says right here.

I give you a hint, you know 70 years They would be in captivity for 70 years.

Now, Daniel is living into that 69 and 70th year, and he's wondering, man, what is going on?

Is there something that I missed, misunderstood?

He had just gotten a prophecy about the 2, 300 days and and he's so confused and he's so overwhelmed by this message That the Bible literally says that he faints I've never had anyone do that while I've been preaching.

All right, so We're still good Go with me to verse 11 Daniel chapter 9 verse 11.

Excuse me chapter 11 Daniel chapter 11 Verse 1 the Bible says Also I in the first year of who?

Darius the meat even I stood to confirm and strengthen him There is something significant that is taking place in the first and second year of the reign of Darius There's something significant.

Well, let's continue to set the stage just a little bit longer bear with me Ezra chapter 4.

We're coming back to Zechariah Ezra chapter 4 Remember Ezra and Nehemiah they go together Hebrew Scriptures, they really go together Ezra chapter 4 and verse 24 Ezra chapter 4 and verse 24.

We know that we know the background behind Ezra and Nehemiah, right?

He's working for the king and he is really impressed by God to appeal to the king in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Now Jerusalem had been decimated during the Babylonian captivity.

In fact, prior even to the Babylonian captivity, a lot had happened.

Daniel chapter 1 says, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar into the king of Babylon and besieged it.

And the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar.

So Babylon destroyed, I mean decimated, essentially, Jerusalem.

Prior to that, the Assyrians had come, and the Assyrians had destroyed 48 of the walled and fortified fortified cities of Judah and Israel.

I mean the country had just gone after war after war after besiegement after destruction it was like there was no hope left.

All right, verse 24, the Bible says, "'Then ceased the work.'" so here they were called to work and then the Bible says then ceased the work of the house of God which is where at Jerusalem so here they were they were trying to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem and the Bible says that they ceased for some reason they stopped and we kind of know the history here So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of who?

Darius whoa, so here's what's going on Darius gives the you know the decree.

Hey, look, I'm going to rebuild this We're gonna do this and it goes forward and things start to happen, and then for some reason, the momentum is lost, and then the Bible says, they just all together stopped working.

Haggai, we're still setting the stage, still setting the stage.

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, right?

Well, don't forget name back it Hey guy chapter 1 and verse 1 In the second year of Darius the king in the sixth month in the first day of the month came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophets unto the rubble 2 months before Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1 so Haggai is already receiving this message from God and Then in Haggai chapter 2 verse 10 it says in the 4 and 20th day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius came the word of the Lord by Haggai the Prophet now, let's go to back to Zechariah Zechariah chapter 1 I know a lot of Bible turning You guys invited the wrong pastor didn't want some Bible Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 1 Now we're talking about the eighth month what year help me out second year Daniel His dream came first year, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, second year.

Upon the fourth and 20th day of the 11th month, which is the month Sabbat, in the second year of Darius came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berkiah, the son of Ido, the prophet.

Then it goes on, we don't have time to cover all of this, but in Zechariah chapter 2, starting in verse 1, I lifted up mine eyes again and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.

You read the rest of that chapter in chapter 3, you really set the stage for sanctuary language.

So this is really referring back to the sanctuary, the temple, which was supposed to be Be in the process of being built, but for some reason they ceased working.

They got discouraged There were things that were going that were going on.

Maybe there was a kovat 504 BC or 520 BC whatever it was they really got discouraged their their homes were taken Their their temple had been destroyed.

They had no place to worship the government said hey look We're taking it all and it's all been taken You got to be careful with application here And then you get Zechariah chapter 3, and I love Zechariah chapter 3, so we're gonna do a quick review here.

But in Zechariah chapter 3, you have the story of Joshua, the high priest, and you know he's wearing what kind of rags?

And by the way when it says filthy rags there in the Hebrew It means that he stunk and he smell and he he just didn't fit the advent hope mold, you know Where you have well-dressed and beautiful looking people No, amen, we're gonna really But Satan comes to accuse him and he says, look, this man is not worthy.

And God says that he will clothe him with his own righteousness in The context of Zechariah chapter 4 Ellen White says this in the book prophets and kings page 587 all who have put on the robe of Christ's righteousness Will stand before him as chosen and faithful and true." Now I love this next sentence.

If you have not read this recently, you need to go back and reread this.

Satan has no power to pluck them out of the hand of the Savior.

Satan has no power, no power to pluck them out of the hand of the Savior.

Not 1 soul who in penitence and faith has claimed his protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power.

By His Spirit

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