• I Timothy 2:5 – A mediator is a go-between. Jesus made it possible for us to approach God in prayer.

• Sadly, the privilege of prayer is often under-used.

• I Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing. This does not mean to literally pray all the time, but to be in a prayerful mindset. We should be able to pray at any time. Compare language in II Samuel 9:7.

• The best example of prayer without ceasing is the prayer life of Jesus:

  • Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17

  • Luke 3:21 – Jesus prayed after baptism. This is the best thing to do after baptism!

  • Mark 1:35 – He started His day in prayer.

    • I Peter 5:8-9 – Resisting the devil by praying is the best way to start your day.

  • Matthew 15:36 – Jesus prayed at mealtime.

  • Mark 14:23 – Jesus prayed at the close of His day. This is the same day Jesus fed 5,000 people and learned of John the Baptist’s death. It was a busy and sad day, but He prayed!

  • Luke 6:12-13 – Jesus prayed when choosing the 12 apostles. We should likewise pray when making important decisions.

    • James 4:13-14 – We must take God’s will into consideration when making decisions.

  • Luke 9:28; Matthew 17:1-2 – Compare Romans 12:2. The same Greek word is translated as both transformed and transfigured.

  • Mark 14:32 – Jesus prayed before crucifixion. He was praying that His time on the cross would be short (John 10:18).

  • Luke 23:34, 46 – Jesus prayed at death. He prayed for His enemies and for God to receive His spirit.

• As we live, so will we die! Let us live a life of praying without ceasing.

• If our prayer life imitates Jesus, it won’t be long between our last prayer and our last breath.

• I Peter 3:12 – God hears the prayers of the righteous.

• Zechariah 1:1-7:14

Introduction

• Zechariah’s name means “whom the Lord remembers.” He is also mentioned in Ezra 5:1; 6:14.
• Zechariah was contemporary with Haggai. At this point in history, the people had returned from Babylonian captivity and built the foundation of the temple but gone no further. Zechariah’s mission was the same as Haggai – stir up the people to build for the Lord.
• The book was written about 520 B.C.
• Many of the prophecies in Zechariah seem to have dual fulfillments – one near term meaning and a second, longer term fulfillment in Christ. Many of the prophecies in the book are Messianic.

Zechariah’s message

• Zechariah 1:1-6 – God had punished their fathers with Babylonian captivity. That should have been a lesson to them, as well as to us. Romans 15:4.

Eight Visions

• Zechariah 1:7-17

• Zechariah 1:18-21

• Zechariah 2:1-13 – God will rebuild Jerusalem as a town without walls.

  • Zechariah 2:4-5 – See II Corinthians 6:14-16

  • Zechariah 2:9-12 – See Hebrews 12:26-29

• Zechariah 3:1-10 – Filthy garments are referring to the sins of the people. God would remove sin through Jesus.

• Zechariah 4:1-14 – Zerubbabel would finish the temple, but by the spirit of God (Ezra 6:15).

• Zechariah 5:1-11 – God would cut off sinners over the whole earth.

• Zechariah 6:1-8 – God’s winds of judgment sent forth upon the people on Judgment Day (Jeremiah 49:36).

Joshua the priest

• Zechariah 6:9-15 – Joshua was a type of Christ, who would sit on His throne as priest.
• Zechariah 7:1-14 – See Jeremiah 41:2; 52:6. Jews were fasting because of terrible events in their history, but these fasts were not commanded by God.

• It’s very easy to mouth the words and let our minds wander!

• Why do you sing?

• The better we understand the purpose, the better our worship will be.

• Examples of singing in the Bible:

  • Exodus 15:1-21 – Singing to praise God for deliverance.

  • Judges 5:1-31 – Singing to praise God for redemption from the Canaanite army.

  • II Samuel 22:1-51 – David sang to praise God for deliverance from his enemies.

  • I Chronicles 16:23-25

  • Psalms 13:6

  • Psalms 59:16-17

• God’s design has always been for people to sing in praise for deliverance or salvation.

• Romans 15:9-12

• Ephesians 5:19-20

• Colossians 3:15-16 – We should praise God for His salvation.

• James 5:13 – It is natural to pray when afflicted. The Christian who is merry for his redemption will naturally sing praises.

• Judges 2:7, 10-14 – Later generations of Israelites turned away from God because of lack of knowledge and teaching.

• Genesis 1:1-31 – Creation

  • Genesis 1:29-30 – It seems that all animals (and man) were herbivorous at first.

  • Genesis 1:26 – Man was to have dominion over the animals.

  • God created by speaking, showing His authority.

• Revelation 4:11 – God is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.

• Isaiah 45:5-7 – There is no one like God!

• Isaiah 45:9-13 – God has authority over what He has created. (This is prophecy of Cyrus allowing the people to return and rebuild.)

• Isaiah 42:5, 1-4, 6-9

• I Timothy 4:4-5 – We should receive God’s blessings with gratitude.

• Colossians 1:15-18 – The creation teaches us about Christ and the church.

• Things we can learn:

  • Acts 17:24-27, 30 – We should seek God!

  • Malachi 2:10 – We are all family. There is one race!

Passages concerning the Lord’s Supper:

• Matthew 26:26-29
• Mark 14:22-25
• Luke 22:19-20
• I Corinthians 10:16; 11:23-29
• Acts 20:7

The Lord’s Supper means to the Christian:

• That he is having fellowship with Jesus’ body and blood.

• It proclaims:

  • … that Jesus was alive.

  • … that Jesus died.

  • … His coming.

  • … that we are in the kingdom now.

    • Note: Pre-millenialists can’t take the Lord’s Supper and be consistent with their beliefs.

  • … that we are under the New Covenant.

  • … our faith and love for Him.

• It is a memorial of His death and promise to come again.

  • Jeremiah 2:32

  • We take the supper on the first day of the week to remember Him all week long.

• An anticipation

  • I Corinthians 11:26

How should we partake?

• Acts 20:7 – Regularly.

The prayer of thanks

• The prayer should include thanks for the bread and fruit of the vine.
• There is no need for the prayer to be long. It is best to keep the focus of the prayer on the supper itself.
• At a cemetery, a tombstone is a memorial, not really a representation of a person.
• The bread and fruit of the vine are more properly understood as memorials, not as representations of the body and blood of Jesus.

Contingencies

• What about going on a trip and missing the supper?
• Consider carefully because we will have to answer for the Lord for our decisions!

The Lord’s Supper looks:

• Upward
• Forward