Introduction

Good day, everyone. Let us continue our study of Zechariah chapter 9. The theme of this chapter is "The Victorious King and His People." Why this theme? Because this chapter not only speaks of how our Lord Jesus came, but also how He chose and preserved His people.

The King Who Brings Salvation Is Coming

A characteristic of the Old Testament is that we see the Israelites constantly living in corruption. This is hard to understand. Are these God's people? Is this our King? How can God's kingdom be so desolate?

In the days of Elijah, the desolation was to what extent? Elijah told God, "I am the only one left." God said, "No! There are still seven thousand who have not bowed down to Baal." Oh, only seven thousand left. This is nothing to boast about! But it sounds like those who have not worshiped Baal are worth boasting about.

Then Elijah was even more miserable. He said, "I am the only one left." God said, "No! There are still seven thousand." No matter how you look at it, this does not look like the people of God! Therefore, "The King who brings salvation is coming." This was said in the days of Zechariah, that is, during the rebuilding of the temple.

Although they built a temple, it did not look very impressive! God had to repeatedly remind the people of Israel through the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. They still needed Nehemiah to manage them.

The scene described in the Old Testament does not look like victory at all! As a result, Zechariah received a vision: the victorious King, the King who brings salvation, is coming! This prophesied how the Lord Jesus would come.

Now I ask you, how do you think the current situation compares to the situation in Zechariah's time? Anyway, I don't think it's very good. The reason is simple: we don't see victory! However, the King who brings salvation is coming. The scripture says:

"Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations,
and his rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth." (Zechariah 9:9-10)

Is this really the case? I tell you, people are deceitful, but God is true. Our Lord Jesus is the King who brings salvation. He will release the captives and the prisoners! You may not believe it, but I tell you, don't look at some churches with many people. That doesn't mean anything. The key is to see if the church is victorious.

Why do I call this chapter "The Victorious King and His People"? Don't think that "His People" means building a church of 100,000, 200,000, or 800,000 people. It's not like that!

I tell you, "His People" are the remnant! They are the remnant! They are the minority! Why? Because God's people are as precious as jewels! Do you think treasures are everywhere? Try picking up a jewel by the river? There are many pebbles, truckloads of them! But if you want to pick up a jewel, you have to look for it slowly! God does not want garbage.

Our King is the King who brings salvation. How does He come? He comes humbly riding on a donkey colt. But don't think He is easy to bully. He can destroy chariots, warhorses, and battle bows. Jesus Christ is much more powerful than chariots and warhorses!

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the Philistines in that area were very powerful. The Ephraimites faced their iron chariots, like tanks today. They faced such a powerful army. But what was the result? If God makes you victorious, even if they have iron chariots and iron horses, it is useless! Don't think that Jesus is not powerful because He comes riding on a small donkey colt. He is very powerful!

So we need to adjust our worldly logic system. You need to know that the authority of the Lord Jesus extends to the ends of the earth. I used to be confused about this authority, but I have a confidence that if I build His church according to God's word, I will see His authority in the church, and this power extends to the ends of the earth.

How do we know this is God's authority? If you slowly start to cast out demons, you will find that the name of Jesus is too great! Demons tremble at the name of Jesus. But here's the problem: not everyone can use the name of Jesus.

I tell you, if we build a victorious church and become the body of Jesus Christ, then you will find that the King who brings salvation really lives among us. He can release the captives and the oppressed, so that the captives are released and the oppressed are set free! So this authority is a spiritual authority.

So where is the problem? It's about what kind of church you want to build? What kind of people are in the church? If you build a defeated church, like the Israelites in the Old Testament, then you will not see victory. It's not that our God is not powerful. He has never changed from ancient times to the present. Our God is the victorious King, the King who brings salvation, and He is still effective today.

I find that some of us are afraid of this and afraid of that! Afraid of everything, but not afraid of God! Alas, why does he have to be a defeated Israelite in the Old Testament? Afraid of everything, but not afraid of God! Don't you think he's not very smart?

We must fear God. His authority extends to the ends of the earth. Even demons must obey Him. The name of Jesus Christ is powerful! But you can cast out demons not because you are powerful, but because the name of Jesus Christ is powerful. Don't think that going to war depends on your own skills. Whether we are casting out demons, healing, or even going out to do business or interviewing, we all rely on the name of Jesus Christ. This name is really too effective! People in this world often rely on worldly things, but worldly things will be burned up by fire.

Everything of the World Will Be Burned Up by Fire

**"A prophecy:
The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak
and will rest on Damascus,
for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel
are on the Lord,
and on Hamath too, which borders on it,
and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful.
Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
she has heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the dirt of the streets.
But the Lord will deprive her of all she has
and will hurl her wealth into the sea,
and she will be consumed by fire.

Ashkelon will see it and fear;
Gaza will writhe in agony,
and Ekron too, for its hope will be dashed.
Gaza will lose its king,
and Ashkelon will be deserted.
People of mixed race will occupy Ashdod,
and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines." (Zechariah 9:1-6)**

Let's take a closer look. Whether inside or outside the church, you will see a very real situation: aren't you relying on your own wisdom? Aren't you relying on the stronghold you built and the wealth you accumulated? As a result, these things will be burned up by fire. So shouldn't these people's brains be fixed?

If we observe carefully, we will find that trillion-dollar empires have collapsed! A richest man has fallen! And then after a while, another richest man has fallen! I tell you, things in this world are not very effective. If you study human history, you will find that the wisdom people pursue, the strongholds they build, the gold and silver they accumulate, the maritime hegemony, these are not effective, and then these people are very surprised.

I have to remind everyone that these things that the world values are not effective! Then should we Christians still pursue these things? Don't you know there is a King who saves us? Are you relying on your own ability or on God? This is too difficult.

I tell you, having faith is both simple and difficult. Where is it simple? You just have to choose to believe! Where is it difficult? Some people just don't believe it. Where can you reason with them? People without money want to pursue money, but people with money live in pain. Do you know that rich people have the pain of being rich.

Let me give you an example. If you had a hundred million, what would you do? I think if I had a hundred million, I really couldn't handle it. Next year it would become ninety million. If there is inflation, it would become ninety-five million. Alas! I lost five million all of a sudden! But I forgot about the ninety-five million and only thought about the five million I lost. This is very hard.

If I really don't know where to invest, then I will deposit it in the bank, then one hundred million will become fifty million, and the loss will change from five million to fifty million. It's really painful! So you still think it's fun to have money? Everyone may think it's cool to have a hundred million, but I found that having a hundred million doesn't seem cool either.

Once I met a person who was very rich, but he invested poorly. After he lost money, he was very painful and couldn't sleep, and then I had to minister to him. I want to say, don't pursue that hundred million. People who set a small goal of one hundred million have become skinny. How hard is that! So let's not pursue worldly things.

If you have hundreds of billions, you have to manage the port of Panama, you have to participate in politics, and then this one wants to pinch you, and that one wants to pinch you! Alas, I tell you, making a decision is simply painful! Because deciding this way offends that one, and deciding that way offends this one. It's very hard.

People run for president, and they are very painful after being elected. If they don't run for president, it's also painful to live. So I tell you, everything of the world will be destroyed. Then if you don't have a hundred million, but want to be destroyed, that's okay, then you can get a hundred million.

"Deprive her of all she has," and then you always want to protect your maritime power, but I tell you, this is troublesome. If you want to have this port, the army will always come to attack you, and then you think, "I will also build an army." As a result, this army is defeated by others, and it costs a lot of money to raise an army. After all this, you end up with a lot of pain!

Brothers and sisters must learn to be smart. Before you have a hundred million, you think it's good, but you have to observe carefully. After you study it, then make this decision, okay? Don't be brainwashed and pursue worldly things. As a result, the Lord burns you up. What are you trying to get?

Everything of the world will be burned up. Ashkelon was very powerful, but when he saw it, he was afraid. Gaza was also in great pain. They used to think it was good to have a hundred million, it was good to have a port! It was good to have so many banknotes in the house that it was like a printing press printing them out. As a result, God burned them with fire, and then they were very painful. I tell you, it is not easy for Chinese people to live happily.

"Ekron too, for its hope will be dashed. Gaza will lose its king, and Ashkelon will be deserted." If you observe, you will find that there is a lot of competition in this world! I tell you something very interesting. Someone told me, "Teacher, you should grow bigger and stronger." Actually, I have never thought about this. I said, "What do I do to grow bigger and stronger? Go to jail? Forget it!

I can shepherd one well, and I can shepherd two well. As long as God is pleased, I will do it! Because growing bigger and stronger is a worldly logic system. Some people grow bigger and stronger, and then jump off the building! Some people grow bigger and stronger and then hang themselves! What happens in the end? They are burned up!

The Remnant Will Return to Our God

I just want to get some remnant people. That's good. Can our brothers and sisters get rid of the worldly logic system inside? Maybe your level is too low, you see less, and your vision is shallower, so you are still thinking: I wish I had a hundred million! I wish I had ten thousand billion.

Then the pastor hopes: I wish I had one member, I wish I had two sitting down there listening to my sermon... Then after having two, I want to have ten! As a result, after having ten, I want to have a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand. So, there are many who "grow bigger and stronger" and go to jail, and there are also those who get depression... There are all kinds of people!

But I'm not stupid. I have to be a little "Versailles." I never pursue these things. What do I pursue? I pursue the remnant of God's people returning to our God. The things in this world that should be burned are burned, and the things that should be destroyed are destroyed. What remains are the remnant people that God has not destroyed, and they return to Chinese Mingding Doctrine.

So later, when they testified, they said, "I am in the victorious church." How did the victorious church come about? It is the people who are left. The remnant is a very small number. They have returned to Chinese Mingding Doctrine. This very small number is the victorious people, that is, the people who are no longer of the world in their hearts.

Where does the suffering of our brothers and sisters come from? It stems from the things of this world. Where does the hardship in your faith lie? It's in the desire to "grow bigger and stronger," only to end up in prison! What exactly are you pursuing? People think they are great, but that is a fatal flaw.

Our brothers and sisters must be among the remnant. What kind of people are the remnant? They are those who, when God destroys the things of this world, see the "growing bigger and stronger" leading to imprisonment and decide not to follow that path! Look, some haven't even grown strong yet and are already suffering from depression, some are even hospitalised! I certainly don't want to "grow bigger and stronger"; I want to trust in God.

"The remnant of my people will return to our God; they will be in Judah like a clan leader, and the Ekronites will be like the Jebusites. But I will encamp around my house as a guard, so that no one can pass back and forth. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch." (Zechariah 9:7-8)

This means the remnant has entered God's house. There was a sister who, in a church focused on "growing bigger and stronger," pursued becoming a famous pastor. Then two marketing people came to her and said, "Pastor, we'll package you, we'll make you a world-renowned pastor." Good heavens, can pastors be packaged? And what's the point of making you a famous pastor? In the end, before she could "grow bigger and stronger," she was consumed by fire.

Our brothers and sisters must know what you have in your head. Is it something to be burned up, or is it part of the remnant? Let me tell you, treasures are few. If you take a pebble from the riverbank to a jewellery store, they'll kick you out. How much can a basket of pebbles sell for? It's just a stone! Is a basket of jewels the same as a basket of stones?

So later, when I built the church, I understood that if it's part of the remnant, I'll pick up the treasures. This is a treasure, this is gold, that is silver, this is a diamond, this is jade... all quite good.

I am particularly moved because, many years ago, a pastor was sued by members of his church and suffered from depression for several years. He was in pain facing the lawsuit, so he tearfully shared his experiences! Then an old pastor on the stage asked us to raise our hands and pray for him.

At the time, I sat below and thought: This is quite precarious! After that, I made a decision: I must bring treasures into the church; I only accept treasures, not rubbish! This is not a rubbish dump, not a "wine-selling" place; this is the body of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ only chooses treasures.

So I often tell our small pastors: "If you successfully shepherd him away, I'll open champagne with you." You heard me right. Why? Because if you are a treasure, like Joseph, who can corrupt you? If you are David, no one can corrupt you, not even King Saul, because God will surely protect him! Do you want to be David or Saul? Do you want to be Joseph or Simeon? Let me tell you, treasures are few!

As some people grow older, their ability to distinguish good from evil increases. Later, someone said, "Teacher, it's not that old people have become bad; it's that bad people have become old. Young bad people have become old bad people." The church cannot accept such people. The church should accept those who can deal with the flesh and the knowledge of good and evil; they will become treasures.

He Will Make a Covenant with His People Through Blood

"As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you." (Zechariah 9:11-12)

Jesus Christ made a covenant with His people through His blood. This is extraordinary! If you treat Jesus as a rag, that's a problem! Jesus is not a kitchen rag, nor a bathroom rag, nor a toilet-cleaning rag, but a rag for wiping treasures. Do you understand? If you are a treasure, the precious blood of Jesus covers your transgressions.

So God sets the captives free, the oppressed free, and then He will be your fortress, blessing you twice as much! Do our brothers and sisters know what kind of covenant this is? This covenant will last forever, and our God is always faithful! If you have not yet received this covenant, the reason is simple. I'll tell you a spiritual principle: Without victory, you will not receive the promise. So what does God say?

"I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword. Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar." (Zechariah 9:13-15)

This promised land, God promised to Abraham, means that I have already given this land to you! But by the time of Moses and Joshua, Moses and Joshua trained three million Israelites to become God's army. What does the Bible say? "God's army came out of Egypt." But the problem is, once they were trained, it was discovered that they were all a bunch of useless people, and they all died in the wilderness.

What does Numbers say? "Only those who can fight count!" But when they fought, they couldn't do it. The Israelites were very afraid, as if "thunder was rolling, and I was so scared." If you don't go in, how can you get the promised land?

I was very surprised, and I said, "God, why don't you give each of these Israelites a pair of flip-flops? And then give them a banana leaf fan, a big tank top, and some big shorts, and then they can stroll into the promised land."

I thought my idea was good, thinking: Since you promised it to me, can't I just stroll in? But it won't work! There are giants inside, all with knives and guns. The guns in the giants' hands are like axles, so scary! You try going in with a tank top and flip-flops?

We Christians must be careful. If you don't fight, you won't get the promised land. If you dare to fight, God will surely fight for you in front of you.

A sister had a hard time finding a job. Her family had been Christians for five generations, but they didn't seem like Christians who fought. They were all Christians wearing flip-flops. Do you think you are a landlord or landlady? No! So they don't get the promise, they don't get the blessing.

People who have been listening to my sermons for a while have started to rise up and fight with us, and then they have found jobs. Of course, this sister also found a job.

In fact, God has long predestined you to be victorious because you are the remnant. So we must remove the worldly and fleshly logic systems inside, and then our God will make a covenant with us through His blood. This covenant is to set the captives free, to set the oppressed free; this covenant is that He will bless us twice as much, to make us His warriors, to devour the enemy, to trample on slingstones, to drink their blood, and to eat their flesh. This is a Christian.

So Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of fighting and winning. We fight against the devil who rules the power of darkness in the air, and we also fight against our fleshly and worldly logic systems. Every time you fight, you will see victory because God has predestined you to be victorious. Every time you are victorious, you will bring God's extraordinary promises and extraordinary blessings.

Brothers and sisters, remember that Chinese Mingding Doctrine says that without fighting and winning, you will not get the promise. Everyone goes home and starts fighting, changes out of that tank top, changes out of the flip-flops, and also changes the days when you sleep until the sun shines on your backside. Do you think you can't be seen just because you're hiding behind the curtains?

Our brothers and sisters must begin to deal with our fleshly bad habits, using the covenant established by the blood of Jesus Christ. This covenant is established in heaven and will never change, so that everything God promised to Abraham will be fulfilled in us because we are a fighting people.

God Will Shepherd and Protect His People

"The Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women." (Zechariah 9:15-17)

I must tell you that the remnant is extraordinary. They are treasures collected from the earth, jewels in a crown! The jewels in a crown are the best jewels! God's people will be exalted above all nations. What we are receiving from God's promises now is only a small point. If we continue to receive, what will happen?

Our brothers and sisters must know how precious you are. You are a treasure in God's eyes, you are a jewel in God's eyes, God has predestined you to be above all nations! Then you say, "Why can't I see it?" The reason is simple. God's covenant says very clearly that you should do this and that, and God should do this and that. This is God's covenant.

If you don't believe that God protects you, how can you get it? I tell you, in Chinese Mingding Doctrine, it is difficult not to experience God, and it is also difficult not to be disciplined! When you are disciplined and the worldly things inside are eliminated, then it is difficult for you not to receive God's promises.

So the church we build is a shepherding church. The church has a characteristic, that is, everyone has their own shepherd, everyone is with their own shepherd, working with God, and being disciplined by Him. How good is this!

The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women.

All handsome men and beautiful women, because grain makes the young men thrive, and new wine cultivates the young women. Zechariah saw that in the glory of God, a group of God-fearing people lived a particularly prosperous life under God's shepherding.

I like to play with children. One day I said to a child, "Why do you have a mouth? Why don't I just give you a charging port, so you can have energy when you charge it? Otherwise, you have to eat with your mouth, bite by bite, how troublesome!" He looked at me for a long time and couldn't figure out the answer. I said, "God wants you to enjoy the food, you should enjoy the food I bought for you."

How great is the grace of our God, how beautiful is His glory! We begin to be a people who fight and win, constantly growing under God's shepherding, being exalted above all nations. This is incomparably good!

This chapter is called "The Victorious King and His People." Our God does not need to use horses, not riding warhorses to overcome warhorses. He can overcome warhorses by riding a donkey. He rode a donkey to be nailed to the cross, to win for us, and to make a covenant with us through His blood.

If you want to imitate Jesus Christ, it is easy, that is, to dedicate yourself to God. Under His protection, you will surely live a prosperous life. Amen!

One of our sisters went to an interview tremblingly. She also sent me a message saying, "Teacher, I want to run away, I don't want to go in for the interview, I feel so bad." I said, "You have always been so bad, you have just been fooling the interviewers all the time. This time, just do it again." Then she went in, and the interview went quite well. Why is this so?

I tell you, the more frightened you are, the more you will rely on God, and then God will give you a small grace. In fact, whenever we rely on God, we will be exalted by God above all nations.

So among us, the poor should not be afraid. You just lack the heart to trust God and the courage to fight and win. The victorious king and his people will surely see the glory of God. Amen! Our Bible study sharing ends here. May God bless everyone!

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