Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Sermon Transcript: “The Lowly King” by Charles Spurgeon
• Sermon Audio: “The King on a Donkey” by Curt Romig

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of the Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today we are in Unit 17, Session 3, The King Promised. With the core passage of Zechariah 9:9-17 and the key concept of: God will provide a messianic King who will restore and save His people.

Now we know from Ezra 5:1, that Zechariah and Haggai were the two prophets that encouraged the Israelites to continue rebuilding the temple.  And they each have their own book in the Bible. God gave Zechariah dreams and visions to share with the Israelites during this time of transition as they struggled to see what life would be like after the exile.

Zechariah then wrote about the visions and prophecy God showed him to encourage the Israelites returned from exile.  Like the Context states, chapters 1-8 first called the Jews to reject complacency and return to God through visions of horns and baskets showing how God had judged and scattered the nations.  Then Zechariah had a vision of the rebuilt temple, symbolizing the restoration of God’s people, as God called them back to true worship.

Chapter 9 then starts with a pronouncement of judgment on Israel’s enemies, prideful nations that have oppressed them. Then we arrive at our core passage for today. Starting in verse 9, Israel is told to rejoice because their king is coming. He is described as “righteous… victorious, humble, and riding on a donkey.” Many of us would be familiar with this pointing to Jesus, riding on a donkey into Jerusalem, as seen in every gospel account: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12. This is one of the many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled as the Messiah.

Why is the King’s humility such a unique characteristic to highlight? In our survival of the fittest culture, we forget that God values and honors humility. Jesus is our best example of a humble leader. The kings of the Old Testament and the kings and leaders of today don’t always act and lead with that same humility. And sometimes it’s the people and culture that continue to cultivate that—society wants leaders who act and seem powerful. But God says otherwise. He emphasizes integrity and humility and sacrifice.

The text continues to emphasize the peace that this king will bring. He will ride on a donkey, a beast of burden, not charging horse of war. He will cut off the chariot and the horse, meaning there would no need of military chariots and horses. And “the bow of war will be removed.” And this king will “proclaim peace to the nations.” After years of battling and captivity, the Israelites would want nothing more than peace. Jesus is that Prince of peace. And this peace will cover His dominion which would “extend from sea to sea.”

At verse 11 then, through Zechariah, the Lord readdresses Israel and tells them that he will set the prisoners free; why? Because “of the blood of your covenant.” I like what the New Amercian Commentary states: “Only in Exod 24:8 does the exact expression, ‘blood of the covenant’…, occur. Throughout the Old Testament blood functions as a sign of the covenant itself. Not until the New Testament would the complete phrase “blood of the covenant” reappear. When the Savior introduced the Lord’s Supper, he stated, ‘This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many’ (in Mark 14:24). Only in Christ would the Lord’s faithfulness to his people find its ultimate fulfillment.” [George L. Klein, Zechariah, vol. 21B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2008), 277.] So because of this covenant that God had with Israel, He would set their prisoners free. But like in verse 9 where He tells them to “rejoice,” here in verse 12, He tells them to “return.” Return to a stronghold. The Lord is our stronghold. Return to Him and God would restore them. And He would use them to be victorious over their enemies.

What might life look like if God’s kingdom ruled in every corner of this earth? To be clear, God does currently rule over every corner of this earth in His sovereignty and providence but He, for now, allows Satan and human leaders to act in their own will. What we know as an already/not yet kingdom through Scripture shows that that kingdom is here, but not yet fully realized or complete until the second coming of Christ. But when that moment comes, there will be complete peace and goodness and love. The idea of complete shalom, a wholeness to the world that only Christ can establish.

The next section of verses, then, continues the idea of the Lord being victorious over his enemies. Verse 14: “The Lord will appear over them.” His arrows will fly and He will advance and defend His people and they will be satisfied. Verse 16: “The Lord their God will save them.” God’s people will flourish under His dominion.

What victories has God provided that you can celebrate today? These can be big things or small. They can be tangible or intangible. If answering this question as a group, try to focus on accomplishments that have been successful because of God’s presence, strength, wisdom, and will.

How have you experienced the tender care of the Good Shepherd lately? If answering this question as a group, try to focus on God’s provision in taking care of you in various ways.

Zechariah prophesied to the Israelites after their return to give them hope and a future. And it all pointed to a Messiah found in Jesus. On page 89 of the Leader Guide, you can see other prophecies that pointed to Jesus throughout his book as well.

Onto the Group Experience, if looking for other ice breaker questions, some can be: “What is one thing you’re hoping for this coming year?” or “In general, how does hope sustain us?” or “What movie can you think of has a great message of hope?” You can transition with what’s written on page 92 of your Leader Guide or with the idea that the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, but life was still hard and they needed hope and encouragement. Through Zechariah, God gave them a message of hope.

Continue to the Context, giving needed information about Zechariah. Also pass out Pack Item 10: Kings of the Exile to show the impact of the various kings during the time of the exile and how they contrast to the ultimate king, Jesus. Recap with highlights from your study and asking what stood out to the group and transition to the Group Activity.

Onto the Group Activity, recreate the activity on the board and invite 4 volunteers to read the passages given in each box. Form 4 smaller groups and assign each group a passage and have them compare the expectation the people might have had regarding the Messiah and His plan for salvation with the reality of who Jesus is and what He came to do.

For example, from the Zechariah verses, the people expected a conquering king, but Jesus was a humble servant bringing peace, riding on a donkey. In the John passage, the people thought the Messiah would exert political dominance and become an earthly king, but Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world. Jesus wants to sit on the throne of our hearts first and foremost. In the Hebrews passage, the people expected temporary deliverance, as was done in the temple through the sacrifice of animals; but Jesus “entered the most holy place once for all time,” meaning His sacrifice is one and done—Jesus paid it all through His crucifixion as the ultimate substitute for us. And in the Philippians passage, the people expected this Messiah, this Savior, to exert His strength through force. But Philippians reminds us that Jesus, assumed the form of a servant and humbled Himself. His strength was in His humility of character.

Remind your group that the returned Israelites were still under the rule of King Darius so their understanding of a Savior would be one who would overthrow human powers and kingdoms.

Debrief with, “How does recognizing Jesus as the humble, righteous King shape our understanding of His rule in our lives today?” Jesus wants to rule our hearts and our lives. He wants our devotion, trust, and love. But He won’t force us to love Him, He acts in loving ways to show us He is worthy of our trust and love. In the same way, we can’t force others to love Jesus; we can simply point out how He is worthy of our love and devotion.

How might we expect Jesus to fit our own desires rather than submitting to His reign? Sometimes we want Jesus to be our genie, someone who grants us wishes; or our bodyguard, someone who fights and destroys our enemies. But Jesus is not either of those things. He is God and deserves our worship and submission. We need to be careful of wanting Him to submit to our direction and desires instead of the other way around. He deserves more than being our buddy, or our provider, or our protector. He is those things to us because of His grace, but He is so much more as our Lord.

Summarize by passing out copies of Pack Item 11: Prophets of the Exile and Return to review some of the messages given to the Israelites and how they pointed to Christ. They couldn’t see it at the time but looking back post-Christ, we can see that God gave them more than they ever hoped for.

Continue by tackling the Heart question in the Head, Heart, Hands section if time is limited. What are some ways we can nurture our relationship with God as both our Conquering King and our Good Shepherd? We are reminded of Ephesians 6:12 where Paul states that our battle “is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” God is more concerned about our souls, and He battles for us daily in the spiritual realm, although we are assured that He is already the victor. He is our Good Shepherd as He continues to care for our needs to show His love and desire for us to be holy people. And with that, we’re able to find true peace and rest in Him alone, what many of us truly long for.

Continue with sharing Next Steps as additional application points and end with prayer requests and praises. And if time permits, end praying through Psalm 2:10-12, “10 So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling. 12 Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, for his anger may ignite at any moment. All who take refuge in him are happy.” We thus can thank God for His rule and reign, and ask for strength to serve the Lord with awe as we rejoice with trembling because of His provision of Christ and the restoration of His people.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Write me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!