by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE PROMISED MESSIAH WILL RETURN AS THE TRIUMPHANT WARRIOR-KING TO DEFEAT ISRAEL’S ENEMIES AND USHER IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOMINTRODUCTION:Just as God fulfilled His detailed promises very literally regarding the first coming of the promised Messiah, the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE REJECTION OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD LEADS TO A REFINING PROCESS WHERE THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL IS EVENTUALLY CLEANSED AND RESTORED TO ITS LOYAL COVENANT RELATIONSHIPINTRODUCTION:What does the future hold for the nation of Israel? Many Christians believe that God...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL BRING SUPERNATURAL DESTRUCTION TO ISRAEL’S ATTACKERS AND DIVINELY INITIATED REPENTANCE TO ALL THE JEWS WHO NOW RECOGNIZE THEIR MESSIAHINTRODUCTION:“In that day” (12:3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11) is the emphasized time reference for this...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S JUDGMENT ALWAYS ACCOMPANIES THE REJECTION OF HIS WORTHY SHEPHERD AND ALLEGIANCE TOWARDS UNGODLY FALSE SUBSTITUTESINTRODUCTION:Before opening the window to give us a glimpse of Israel’s promising future, Zechariah shows the utter folly of the nation and...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE COMPASSIONATE GOD WILL ULTIMATELY STRENGTHEN HIS REGATHERED REMNANT LED BY THE MESSIAH TO TREAD DOWN THEIR ENEMIES AND BE FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN THE PROMISED LANDINTRODUCTION:Often people look for blessing and strength in all of the wrong places. False...
by Paul Apple | Apr 15, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S PEOPLE SHOULD REJOICE IN ANTICIPATION OF THEIR COMING KING WHO WILL VANQUISH ALL ENEMIES AND ESTABLISH PEACE AND PROSPERITYINTRODUCTION: Chapter 9 begins the final section of the prophecy of Zechariah which consists of two oracles introduced by the...
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 | Mar 10, 2020 | Bible-OT, Christian
[Originally posted June 9, 2018]“For who has despised the day of small things?”“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed . . .” As Freedom Church in Baltimore prepares to launch its new Windsor Mill location on the West side of Baltimore (the former Temple Baptist...
