
Zerubbabel
ZERUBBABEL - His name LITERALLY MEANS “The begotten of Bablyon”
God sends a prophet named Zechariah to speak to him… to get him to understand his purpose:
Zechariah 4:6 - 7
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
A REAL LEADER DOES NOT TOUT HIS PERSONAL STRENGTH.
A REAL LEADER DOES NOT USE POWER TO FORCE PEOPLE TO DO THEIR WILL.
For leaders like this… fear is the dominant default emotion.
They lead with fear, they inspire fear..
GREAT LEADERS ARE OPTIMISTIC AND REALISTIC…. at the same time.
“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I’m realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” —Walt Disney
Zerubbabel needs to see… YES… THIS IS A PROBLEM…
and I’m not going to be strong enough, powerful enough, capable enough to do what needs to be done myself. I MUST TRUST IN GOD.
LESSON 1: LEADERS NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO
YOU CANNOT LEAN ON
There is a portion of time that leaders can lean on their know-how and creativity and ability, power and strength…
Proverbs 3:5 - 6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
YOU CANNOT LEAN ON
that’s the “power” part of the prophesy. Zerubbabel could have leaned on the fact that he was sent here by a foreign Persian leader…
Isaiah 36:6 NLT
6 On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable!
You MUST be careful about WHO you lean on in your organization -
Ezra 4:1 - 2
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel;
2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
Tsar - an opponent, a pebble in a sandal, distress, tribulation, trouble.
These are leaders of gangs that have tried to keep the people of God at bay so they could stay in leadership…
Ezra 4:3
3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
Be careful who you allow to help.
YOU MUST HAVE benchmarks of attitudes you want leaders to exibit….
Charisma is NOT your benchmark for leadership…
Four things to look for before giving anyone space:
• Optimistic outlook - do they complain a lot? are they feeling like the world hates them?
• Posture of humility - how do they handle correction? how are they at helping others, or do they only want to be in charge?
• Generous attitude - do they love to give, to share, to support?
• Consistent empathy - do they care how others feel? do they desire to help the hurting?
Your goal is to develop them to have all four of these qualities ALWAYS!
Ezra 4:4 - 5
4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
LESSON 2: KEEP LOOKING AT THE VISION, not your
What are you LOOKING AT?
FRUSTRATIONS? IRRITATIONS? PROBLEMS?
Zerubbabel gets so sidetracked by the people… it takes them 15 years to get the project off the ground…
Zechariah 4:8 - 10
8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Zerubbabel was frustrated by what he saw… because GOD KEPT SENDING PEOPLE TO ENCOURAGE HIM!
ENCOURAGEMENTS MATTER! SAVE THEM! WRITE THEM DOWN! PUT THEM UP!
Habakkukb 2:2
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
- WRITE THE VISION - write out what God has spoken to you and what you are believing for in your leadership capacity in this area.
- MAKE IT PLAIN - clarity is needed. Make it clear. Make it simple.
- HE MAY RUN THAT READETH IT - make it inspirational, motivational, purposeful.
EXPLAIN YOUR WHYS WAY MORE THAN YOUR “WHAT”S
Haggai 2:21 - 23
21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.
LESSON 3: LEADERS NEED TO SEE THE POWER OF
Signet ring:
it would be impressed upon a document or a letter.
this letter carries the authority of the person who pressed into it.
YOU CARRY AUTHORITY WHEN YOU PRESS INTO A PLACE.
What impression do you leave when people leave your presence?
As a leader, you are called to be a thermostat, not a thermometer.
Atmosphere = the surrounding influence; air surrounding the earth; the totality of surrounding conditions and circumstances affecting growth or development; the spiritual climate.
We can change the atmosphere or the climate in the territories we are responsible for — you have authority where you have responsibility!
You are a signet ring of the royal family of Heaven!
Raise the level of faith in your family.
Raise the level of faith in your workplace.
PRACTICAL WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION:
- SATURATE THE ATMOSPHERE IN WORSHIP -
Why? Worship acknowledges God’s Lordship over any aspect of our lives.
- CAST OUT ANY DEMONIC PRESENCE -
Why? You have the authority to cast them out no matter what reason they have for being in the place.
Mark 16:17
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
- CREATE A SPIRIT OF EXPECTANCY -
How do we do create the spirit of expectancy? BY OUR WORDS!
What you release with your mouth you impress into the atmosphere. You open doors to demonic by opening your mouth to the lies or words of the devil.
Words create – either positive or negative. Produce death or life.
Proverbs 18:20 - 21
20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
- Words will draw things, people, blessings or curses to you.
- Words will also repel things, people blessings or curses from you!
Luke 5:15-17
15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
Despite opposition of the Jews, miracles still happened in Jesus’ ministry because of the expectancy of the people.
In order to be successful at what God told him to do Zerubbabel had to learn to:
- LEAN ON GOD.
- SEE THE VISION - NOT WHAT HE SAW.
- USE THE POWER OF IMPRESSION.
The functioning Temple he built in Jerusalem, though modest in scope, stood for centuries—even longer than the Temples of Solomon and Herod the Great combined