The King is coming

Nikolle Bauder • March 2, 2022

Notes from Pastor Lance Shumake's message on Zechariah 9:


The book of Zechariah has long been divided into two parts: the first half of the book (chapters 1-8) that focuses on visions and a specific answer to a question; in the second half of the book (chapters 9-14), Zechariah answers another question that hasn't been directly stated... now that the temple is being rebuilt, what is God going to do?


To note: when reading prophecy in the Bible, the timeline of events presented is unimportant. Instead, one must look for overarching themes in order to not get lost in the when and how.


In chapter 9, a major theme is God’s sovereignty over all the earth.


God being sovereign means that He is always in control. Everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen is all according to God’s plan and purpose.


Part of Zechariah’s prophecy in chapter 9 foretells a path of destruction on Israel’s enemies. What’s remarkable is that nearly two centuries later, the conqueror Alexander the Great fulfilled this prophecy exactly. Alexander and his army went down the same path written and wiped out the cities mentioned.


A couple points in chapter 9 that reiterate the theme of God’s sovereignty…


(1) God will judge and punish the wicked.


(2) God will defend his people.


Another remarkable thing about Alexander the Great was that he never attacked Jerusalem. He went past it once, turned around, and went past it again.


Why didn’t he attack? God was guarding His people.


Another theme is chapter 9 is that God will send His King to His people.


There’s a transition in the text between verses 1-8 and the rest of the chapter where God goes from saying, “I will do this…” to “He will do this”. He goes from saying what He’s going to do (send a King); to what the King is going to do. 


The King mentioned here is clearly a person (riding on a donkey, coming into the city) who is closely associated with God. He’s fortelling a God-man coming as King; the long-awaited Messiah coming to rescue His people.


(Spoiler alert: the coming King is Jesus)


This passage tells us several things about the coming King in verse 9, 


“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”


The coming King is righteous


The King IS righteousness; the very personification of it.


Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life in complete obedience to God the Father. He was (and is) fully righteous; set apart from every person on earth.


In exchange for our sin, Jesus (*fully righteous*) took the punishment we should have taken and GIVES US his righteousness. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, it’s like we’ve never sinned. When we are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, God sees us as if we’ve always obeyed.


The coming King brings salvation


Jesus came because we needed saving. He came to accomplish our salvation by living a perfect life, dying on a cross, being buried in a grave, and—on the third day—coming out of that grave, conquering sin and death forever.


We have no salvation apart from Jesus.


The coming King is humble


Most people thought that the Messiah would come on a war horse as a conqueror. But Jesus came on a humble donkey.


Jesus came to us “not to be served but to serve.” In greatest humility, the Creator of our world accomplished the work of our salvation (death on a cross) with joy.


Author Arthur Pink says of Jesus, “Notice it in the men selected by Him to be His ambassadors: He chose not the wise, the learned, the great, the noble, but poor fishermen for the most part. Witness it in the company He kept: He sought not the rich and renowned, but was “the Friend of publicans and sinners.” See it in the miracles He performed: again and again He enjoined the healed to go and tell no man what had been done for them. Behold it in the unobtrusiveness of His service: unlike the hypocrites who sounded a trumpet before them, He sought not the limelight, shunned advertising, and disdained popularity. . . . When He, in fulfillment of prophecy, presented Himself to Israel as their King, He entered Jerusalem “lowly, and riding upon a donkey.”


Because Jesus is a servant King, kingdom work for us looks like serving.


The coming King proclaims peace


Jesus came in on a donkey because He didn’t come to conquer, He came to bring peace. His peace is one extended to all the nations— all welcome and invited in.


The peace Jesus brings is a peace between us and God. Before Jesus, we were God’s enemies. We fired the first shot and turned our backs on Him. Because He is a just God, He punishes His enemies. But the King comes to intervene and establish peace. He doesn’t seek revenge, He seeks relationship.



The coming King reigns forever


...and we get to reign with Him, if we put our faith and trust in Him!



So what do we do with this?


- Don't reject Him.


- Build His Kingdom and serve others!


- REJOICE! Rejoice with shouting, with worship, with all of our lives -- Rejoice!



500 years after Zechariah said all this, Jesus rode into town on a donkey.


Luke 19:27-28 tells us, "As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, [38] saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 


Rejoice in who He is and what He has done! Let that be the refrain of our lives.

Shepherds & Sheep

July 2, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 29, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:1-4 Gen. 1:1-2 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Churches should be led by a plurality of elders. Acts 11:30, Acts 14:23, Acts 15, Acts 16:4, Acts 17:1, Acts 20:28, Acts 21:17, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:2, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5, Titus 1:7, James 5:14 Instructions for Pastors: Shepherd God’s flock The words “God’s flock” remind the elders that the congregation does not belong to them. It is God’s church, and they are given the privilege and responsibility of shepherding it. -Thomas R. Schreiner Exercise oversight Oversee willingly (not under compulsion) 1 Cor. 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! Oversee eagerly (not for shameful gain) 2 Cor. 2:17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. Lead by example (not domineering) Strive for Humility 1. Pure Christian humility disposes a person to take notice of everything that is good in others, and to make the best of it, and to diminish their failings. - Jonathan Edwards The Chief Shepherd is Coming Shepherds God’s flock Exercises oversight 1 Peter 2:25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Oversees willingly (not under compulsion) Oversees eagerly (not for shameful gain) 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. Leads by example (not domineering) Hebrews 2:8b-9 we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Discipleship Questions: What are some of the benefits of having multiple elders? How would you define the job / responsibilities of an elder? If you were to move to a new area tomorrow, what would you be looking for in a new church? Why, do you think, the “younger” are specifically instructed to be subject to the elders? How does someone who is “clothed in humility toward one another” behave in the church? Out of the five pastors at Crosspoint, who is your favorite? (just kidding, don’t ask that).

Not Surprised

June 24, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 22, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:12-19 We shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter suffering John 15:18–20 [18] “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. [19] If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. [20] Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. 2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted We can rejoice knowing we are sharing in Christ’s suffering Matthew 5:11–12 [11] “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. We don’t bring glory to God when we suffer for doing wrong We should choose to glorify God instead of being ashamed We should live in light of the coming judgment of God “Peter shows the meaning of our suffering from two sides. First, our suffering for Christ finds its significance in Christ’s suffering for us. We share now in suffering for him as we shall one day share in glory with him (4:13; 5:1). Secondly, our suffering does not destroy us, but purifies us. The fire of God’s judgment that we endure is not the fire of wrath that will consume the unbelieving.” —Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter We can entrust our souls to our faithful Creator Discipleship Questions: Why is it our tendency to be surprised when we encounter suffering? What are some reasons for rejoicing when you encounter suffering? Why is it so tempting to classify all suffering as persecution, even when we suffer for doing wrong? How can you resist feeling ashamed when you suffer for being a Christian? How do you think God uses suffering to purify His church? How does entrusting your soul to God help you find hope?

Unhindered and Healthy

June 18, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:7-11 Would you know if your prayers were hindered? How would you know? What causes prayers to be more fruitful? What causes prayers to be interrupted? What hinders our prayers? Not living with your spouse in an understanding way A lack of sober mindedness and self-control Hindered prayers hurt our relationships A lack of self-control… letting your flesh rule you will never result in healthy relationships. A lack of sober mindedness… letting your thoughts rule you will never result in healthy relationships. Self-control and sober minded prayer are those inward things that result in outward expressions. They ready us to set our focus and affections on other people. Application: Keep loving one another earnestly Aim to cover a multitude of sins Make your home available to others Make your gifts available to others Speaking Serving Discipleship Questions: Have you ever become aware that your prayers are hindered? How did you know? What are some practical steps that we can take to strengthen our prayer lives? How do hindered prayers hurt our relationships? How do unhindered prayers strengthen our relationships? What are some practical ways that we can aim to cover a multitude of sins? Define at least 2 practical ways in which you will make your home and your gifts available to others this week. How has your life been impacted by others who have made their homes and their gifts available to you?
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