Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030316.htm

JESUS CHRIST IN OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY
Part XXX: Obtaining Christ's Victory Over Anxiety
(Zechariah 9:1-9 with Matthew 21:1-10; Luke 19:41-42)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

In preparing to type this message, I was swamped with personal exposure to the human pain of anxiety:

(1) Before breakfast at home, I heard radio talk show host, Brad Davis claim if the war in Iraq was started soon and went well with minimal loss of life, President Bush would probably win a second term in office. However, if he delayed taking action, or if the war dragged out for months with a heavy loss of life, he would doubtless lose the election.

The caller on the other end of the phone line with Brad seemed stunned, and kept saying, "Is that right? Really?" in a rather hushed tone as he realized the way our nation would be affected by the war.

(2) Once I arrived at the office, I received several phone calls from various believers experiencing various levels of anxiety in their lives:

(a) One party was preparing for a serious medical procedure, and was anxious about getting postoperative help.

(b) Another believer called, looking for help relative to a challenge he faced in his job, a challenge making him apprehensive about what direction to take in a matter.

(c) A third party called, needing help in a legal realm.

(3) So, just to type up this sermon's first draft, I let the answering machine start taking my calls. In so doing, I was struck with the emphasis on anxiety that had come my way that morning!

(4) Then, as I began to type up this message and realized it dealt with gaining God's peace, and recalled the many other legal, financial, relationship and employment concerns I knew many faced already, I was impelled to address our ANXIETIES in this message!



Well, IS there real PEACE available for OUR era for BELIEVERS regarding what makes us ANXIOUS? IF so, HOW do we OBTAIN it and KEEP it?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "I or a friend is very anxious about talk of war, money crises, health needs, legal threats, relationship challenges, etc., so I wonder HOW to HANDLE these things EVEN as a CHRISTIAN!"
  1. The RISEN Jesus told His disciples on the road to Emmaus how He fulfilled Old Testament Messianic prophecies, Luke 24:25-27.
  2. As these men were edified by Christ's teaching of those passages (Luke 24:32), we also view them, following the list of prophecies named in the Ryrie Study Bible, KJV , s. v. "Messianic Prophecies."
  3. The Zechariah 9:1-9 prophecy in view of its fulfillment reveals Messiah Jesus would offer Israel GOD'S PEACE in CONTRAST to Alexander the Great's THREATENING INVASION:
    1. In 520 B. C., Zechariah 9:1-7 predicted the 333 B. C. threatening advance of Alexander the Great toward Jerusalem, Ibid., Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, p. 1310; ftn. to Zech. 9:1-8; Z.P.E.B., vol. One, p. 97-98.
    2. However, Zechariah 9:8 predicted God would protect His temple (and Jerusalem) from Alexander the Great's destruction so that Messiah could offer to rule Israel in peace by riding into Jerusalem on the beast of peace, a donkey, cf. Zech. 9:9; Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 1563.
    3. These predictions were marvelously fulfilled as follows:
      1. Secular historian, Josephus (Ant., Bk. XI, ch. VIII, 4-5) relates as the High Priest in full regalia met Alexander outside Jerusalem, Alexander recalled a past dream where a priest likewise dressed served a deity who promised to give him victory over Persia. Thus, Alexander treated the Jews well and spared Jerusalem!
      2. Three hundred and sixty years later, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, offering to rule in God's peace, Mtt. 21:1-5 & Zech. 9:9.
  4. Yet, since Israel REJECTED Jesus, He predicted God's PEACE would not be hers until His Second Coming, Luke 19:41-42.
  5. However, His PEACE is AVAILABLE to INDIVIDUALS NOW:
    1. When one trusts in Christ for salvation from sin and receives eternal life, he is given positional PEACE with God, John 3:16; Rom. 5:1.
    2. Consequently, he may experience God's practical PEACE even in times of persecution and life's turmoil, John 16:33.
    3. We examine Scripture on how that peace can be ours in living:
      1. As believers, we must confess any post-salvation sins we do or our fellowship with God is broken so we cannot have practical peace with God in our lives, 1 John 1:9 with 1 John 1:3-7.
      2. Then, we must live in dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit God gives us at salvation for the power to obey God, Gal. 5:16-23.
      3. In this position, we obey God for blessing, 1 John 2:1-6, and our lives overflow with God's joy, cf. 1 John 1:3-4.
    4. However, due to seemingly overwhelming threats to their welfare, believers may have "spiritual fainting spells" of deep anxiety, cf. Luke 18:1, 8b. God offers guidance in handling these as follows:
      1. We know from Luke 18:1, 8b that a lack of faith yields anxiety.
      2. Thus, we must expose ourselves to Scripture, the entity that carries divine power which in turn fosters faith, Heb. 4:12; Rom. 10:17.
      3. Yet, we may be engulfed in spiritual darkness: we may either be surrounded by others who do not believe the truth, or ourselves have inner doubts of God's desire or ability to solve what causes us anxiety. In this case, we must apply Psalm 119:105 and Luke 18:1 on using Scripture to offset spiritual darkness as follows:
        1. In the environment of spiritual darkness (as a troubled party is weak in faith), Scripture will illumine the FIRST step we are to take as a hand-held lantern works for the traveler, Ps. 119:105a.
        2. If we take that FIRST step we know we should take, Scripture will illumine the SECOND step we are to take, Ps. 119:105a.
        3. As this process is constantly repeated in life, and that at times in increments of very tiny steps, though the darkness remains, we safely navigate life's path with God's blessing, Ps. 119:105b.
        4. These steps are to be accompanied by prayer every step of the way that we not "faint" in spiritual defeat, Luke 18:1, 8b.
Application: To enjoy the victory of PEACE over the ANXIETY facing us in this world, (1) we must BELIEVE in Christ as our Savior from sin and hell to be granted God's positional peace in Him (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:1). (2) Then, by fellowshiping with God, we enjoy practical peace as outlined in sections "V, A-C" above. (3) However, if we as BELIEVERS are WEAK in faith due to the depth of anxiety we face, we apply "V,D" above for victory.

Lesson: Though God's GREAT PEACE in CONTRAST to the THREAT of Alexander the Great's military advance was made AVAILABLE to Israel in CHRIST, and then only POSTPONED for the nation as Israel REJECTED Him, that PEACE is AVAILABLE for INDIVIDUALS NOW by faith in Christ and provisions in His Spirit and Word.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Having typed the first draft of this message, and while relaxing at home the evening of March 4th, our Church Treasurer called to let me know the new figures on my 2003 salary payments.

I had earlier asked if she could arrange to pay us in four equal installments per month instead of the former schedule of a paycheck every Wednesday. The reason? There are 53 Wednesdays in 2003, making it very difficult for me to know how to balance my 12 monthly budgets! In fact, our family expenditures for January and February had been minimized simply because we didn't know how to balance our books in view of the pay schedule.

When Marge let me know March 4th the amount of the four paycheck we would be getting four times a month, and that beginning with the month of March, I was able to figure a monthly budget and balance the budget book.

Boy, was that ever neat! We found BECAUSE of the delay in not knowing how to set up the budget, and in our resulting limit of expenditures, we had several hundred dollars on hand to add to needy budget columns for March!

Some of that extra money we set aside for the following week's March 9-16 spring vacation. We had wanted to take some day trips to get out of the house, but until then were not positive we had the money to afford it. The rest of that extra was added to our summer vacation savings, for we would like to visit Williamsburg, Virginia and see its Early American colonial sites this summer!

So, in an era when FINANCES are tight and many are tempted with ANXIETY over money shortages (be it our national or state budget needs, our town budgets with the high costs of snow removal this year, etc.), God has met needs for us to RELAX as a family in keeping with what is needed so we can CONTINUE to minister at Nepaug Church!