by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE BLESSINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUTURE RESTORATION OF THE JEWS WILL ATTRACT THE ALLEGIANCE OF THE GENTILESINTRODUCTION:Only the presence of the Lord can guarantee our ultimate blessing. Here we have a tremendously encouraging passage as God points to the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: HARD HEARTS CLOSE THEIR EARS TO GOD’S COMMANDS AND SUBSTITUTE RELIGIOUS RITUAL FOR LOVING OBEDIENCEINTRODUCTION: In the parable of the soils in the New Testament (Mark 4:20), Christ taught that there is only one type of heart that is truly good and fertile –...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE COMING MESSIAH WILL REIGN AND MINISTER PEACE AS BOTH KING AND PRIEST FROM THE TEMPLE WHICH HE WILL BUILDINTRODUCTION:The difficult work of the remnant in the days of Zechariah had tremendous significance. For the rebuilding of the temple prefigured that...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE EXECUTION OF JUDGMENT (AGAINST ISRAEL’S WICKED ENEMIES) APPEASES THE WRATH OF GOD WHO WILL ULTIMATELY BE VICTORIOUSINTRODUCTION: The wrath of God is going to be satisfied one way or another. Christ’s propitiation upon the mercy seat via His...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: WICKEDNESS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO EXIST IN THE HOLY ASSEMBLY –WICKEDNESS WILL ULTIMATELY BE CONFINED (SEPARATED), REMOVED FROM THE MIDST OF GOD’S PEOPLE AND TEMPORARILY ENSHRINED IN BABYLONINTRODUCTION: A Jack-in-the-Box scene – a genie-in-the-bottle...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: BECAUSE GOD TAKES SIN SERIOUSLY THERE WILL BE NO ESCAPING HIS CERTAIN JUDGMENTINTRODUCTION: Some people can get so involved in the work of the Lord that they imagine the requirements of holiness don’t apply to them. They think that their religious activities...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S WORK SUCCEEDS ONLY BY THE ABOUNDING ENABLING SUPPLIED BY GOD’S ANOINTING HOLY SPIRITINTRODUCTION:The prerequisite to serving God must be the type of sanctification and cleansing emphasized in the last vision. Here we see the encouragement to ministry...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S ELECT ARE UNTOUCHABLE AND FIT FOR SPIRITUAL SERVICE BECAUSE OF THE CLEANSING FROM SIN PROVIDED BY CHRISTTHE COMBINATION OF ROLES OF KING AND PRIEST IN ONE PERSON IS PREFIGURED IN JOSHUA (THE BRAND PLUCKED FROM THE FIRE) AND FULFILLED IN THE COMING...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: A DAY IS COMING WHEN THE LORD WILL RETURN TO PROSPER AND PROTECT JUDAH BY DWELLING IN HER EXPANDED MIDST (ESTABLISHING HIS GLORIOUS THRONE AT THE CENTER OF HER UNIVERSE)INTRODUCTION: Do we have the throne of the Lord established at the center of our...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE DAY IS COMING WHEN THE LORD WILL OVERTHROW THE GENTILE NATIONS WHICH HAVE SCATTERED AND OPPRESSED THE JEWISH PEOPLEINTRODUCTION: The “time of the Gentiles” will not last forever. In their pride and false sense of security, they judge themselves to be...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE DAY IS COMING WHEN THE LORD WILL HAVE COMPASSION AND RESTORE THE FORTUNES OF HIS PEOPLEINTRODUCTION: This is a message of comfort regarding the Lord’s compassion towards His people. Although some of the Jews have returned from exile and begun the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: HISTORY PROVES THAT THE LORD’S URGENT CALL TO REPENTANCE MUST BE RESPONDED TO RIGHT NOWINTRODUCTION:Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai and proclaimed a message of encouragement to God’s people who had returned from Exile and faced the daunting challenge...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE SOVEREIGN GOD WILL EXALT HIS CHOSEN KING TO RULE OVER ALL NATIONS AND KINGDOMSINTRODUCTION: This passage is addressed to Zerubbabel. But the language goes way beyond anything that was fulfilled in his day. Yes, there was a near term fulfillment in...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: HOLINESS IS A PREREQUISITE TO ACCEPTABLE SERVICE AND THE BLESSING OF GODINTRODUCTION: Sin has a contaminating effect on everything around it. We deceive ourselves if we imagine that we can come before God and please Him in any way apart from first...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: EVALUATE PRESENT REALITIES NOT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PAST PERFORMANCE BUT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FUTURE PROMISES OF MILLENNIAL GLORY AND BLESSINGINTRODUCTION: We are always evaluating what God is doing in the present – in our personal situation . . . in...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE LORD IS WITH THOSE WHO OBEDIENTLY COMMIT TO PERFORM HIS WORK FOR HIS GLORYINTRODUCTION:The Lord works in our hearts through His revelation to stir up our hearts to carry out His work. His revelation demands a response of obedience. His leaders should set...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE WORK OF THE LORD AND HIS GLORY MUST BE OUR #1 PRIORITYINTRODUCTION: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” God’s people come up with many excuses to justify their pursuing a life of personal...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: WHEN THE LORD RETURNS TO REIGN – THE NATIONS WILL BE JUDGED AND DESTROYED – AND THE REMNANT WILL BE PURIFIED AND BLESSED INTRODUCTION: The love of the Lord for His people is amazing when set against the backdrop of unfaithfulness and rebellion....
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE COMPASS ALL DESTINED FOR JUDGMENT BECAUSE OF THEIR ARROGANCE AGAINST THE ONE TRUE GOD AND HIS BELOVED PEOPLEINTRODUCTION: People think that basketball guru Coach Dean Smith of the University of North Carolina invented the four corner...
by Paul Apple | Apr 14, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: SEEK RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE THE TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD (WHICH IS NEAR AND COMING VERY QUICKLY) BRINGS DEVASTATIONINTRODUCTION:Imagine the most devastating storm that nature can produce and you have not even begun to scratch the surface of the terror that...
