1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:06,200 Ezra chapter 6 and plant your eyes there at verse 13. 2 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,680 Since our start in our study of the book of Ezra, we have 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,800 virtually every week heard something similar. 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,720 We've heard about the reconstruction, the rebuilding 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,160 of what is known as the Second Temple in Jerusalem. 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,480 Everything from the initial excitement of the rebuilding to 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,680 the mixed feelings about the rebuilding, to the opposition to 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:39,560 the rebuilding and the revival toward the rebuilding. 9 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:44,720 But after we complete this chapter, we will no longer hear 10 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,360 about the reconstruction of the Temple for one simple reason. 11 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,600 We are going to realize that it is going to be completed. 12 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,680 That is essentially what the rest of Ezra chapter 6 is about, 13 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,720 the celebration of the completion of the House of God 14 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,239 that for many, many decades lay destitute and destroyed. 15 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,400 This is a monumental moment here. 16 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,720 But before we read about the rejoicing of this historic 17 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,920 achievement, we're going to learn and be reminded of what it 18 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:20,120 took for it to be realized. The verses that we're going to 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,840 open up with are essentially a summary of this massive 20 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,920 accomplishment. But within these verses we are 21 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:32,320 going to see some insights that are going to feed a central 22 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:38,320 truth the necessary for steadfastness in whatever God 23 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:42,240 has called us to do. And so let's do this as we come 24 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,560 now to this text. We're going to read the first 2 25 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,640 verses, beginning of verse 13 down to verse 14. 26 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,560 It says here. Then, according to the word sent 27 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:57,280 by Darius the king, Tatanai, the governor of the province beyond 28 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:02,960 the river Shethar, Bazani and their associates did with all 29 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,600 diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 30 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,600 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the 31 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,000 prophesying of Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son 32 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,920 of Edo. They finished their building by 33 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:20,240 decree of the God of Israel, by decree of Cyrus and Darius, and 34 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,520 Arctic Xerxes, king of Persia. Let's pause here for a moment. 35 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,640 Let's remind ourselves where we're at in this story. 36 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,040 There were certain governors during the Persian government 37 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,640 and empire that were ruling over the Judean province. 38 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,720 They saw these Jews who had returned from Babylon rebuilding 39 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,600 this great edifice and it concerned them. 40 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,040 So they sent message to Darius the king asking for 41 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,520 clarification if they have permission to do this. 42 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,200 Darius the king gives a letter promptly once he discovers the 43 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,080 historical precedence and the allowance for them to do this. 44 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,840 He tells Tatani and his associates, leave the Jews 45 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:05,120 alone, don't interrupt, don't interfere, don't get involved. 46 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,600 But additionally, he warns them and he says if anyone is to edit 47 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,440 my decree, they will be severely punished. 48 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,080 If anyone vandalizes this place of worship, they will be put to 49 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:21,520 death. And I call upon the God of 50 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:26,600 Israel to actually intervene. And So what we just read now is 51 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,960 the response of Tatani and the other governors to the letter 52 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,320 that they had received from Darius. 53 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,200 And here's what we discover. What's highlighted here is that 54 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,400 they did what Darius asked with what? 55 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,520 Look at the end there, verse 13, With all diligence. 56 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,960 With all diligence. Now that may not seem relevant, 57 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:56,360 but it is because whether Tatani and his associates wanted to or 58 00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:00,400 not, they just became active participants in this project. 59 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,880 Go back to verse 8 of Ezra 6. This is just part of Darius's 60 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,000 letter to these men. In Ezra 6-8 it reads. 61 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,400 Moreover, I make a decree. This is Darius speaking 62 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:17,120 regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the 63 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:21,200 rebuilding of this House of God. The cost is to be paid to these 64 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,800 men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the 65 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,360 tribute of the province from beyond the river. 66 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,400 So the very same men who reported on the Jews have not 67 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,600 been recruited to help the Jews. It's a remarkable turn of 68 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:41,440 events, but to our surprise, the attitude of Tetani and his 69 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:46,760 friends is actually praiseworthy, because there is 70 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,440 no hint whatsoever that they were reluctant to obey the 71 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,080 orders of Darius. In fact, it's the opposite. 72 00:04:55,160 --> 00:05:00,640 They did so with all diligence. You know what that word 73 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:05,120 diligence means? With careful attention, with 74 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:10,280 effort, without reservation, with energy. 75 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,440 And that seems quite interesting, because the more I 76 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,760 meditated on this, the more inspiring it became. 77 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:24,320 Think about a couple things with me #1 as I just mentioned, these 78 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,440 men did not resist or question Darius's decree towards them, 79 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,400 did they? Not at all. 80 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,320 All Darius had to do was what? Give the word. 81 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:42,040 And they complied completely. They unreservedly submitted. 82 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,520 And what we find here is that though we don't know all their 83 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:52,200 motives, one thing is undeniable, that all it took was 84 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,120 Darius's word to get them moving. 85 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,520 All it took was one order, and they obeyed. 86 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:06,000 And for this demonstration of obedience to come from Gentiles 87 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:12,680 at this point in history who are serving a human king in this way 88 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,360 is a clear challenge to God's people then and now. 89 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:23,240 Should not your eagerness and mine match or even exceed that 90 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:30,800 of these men for our king, Our king, he's called a king of many 91 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:36,080 places in the Scriptures. Does he not deserve this exact 92 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:42,720 type of prompting and willingness and eagerness for 93 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,800 whatever he asks of us? If these men are willing to do 94 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,840 this for a human king named Darius, how much more us for our 95 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:53,000 King, Christ our Lord, our Master. 96 00:06:55,040 --> 00:07:02,360 No hesitation, no arguments, no debate, all diligence the first 97 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,880 time. The secondly, notice how these 98 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:07,880 men obeyed Darius's order without any reward. 99 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:11,720 There is nothing promised to them. 100 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,920 All that letter shows is that Darius wanted something to be 101 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,040 done, and he warned them if they disobeyed, if they altered 102 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:24,160 anything that he had said. There is no indication that 103 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,720 there is any promise for promotion, any prize to be 104 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:33,480 granted, and yet, without anything in view, they still did 105 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,440 so with all diligence. Why? 106 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,160 Here's the only answer I can come up with for the King's 107 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,200 pleasure. That's why. 108 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:45,280 Because he asked for it, he desired it, and that's the only 109 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:49,160 thing that they're working with. What a thought. 110 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,760 It's possible to surrender to someone else's will simply 111 00:07:54,760 --> 00:08:01,120 because you want to please them. And that's what Tatani and his 112 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,200 associates are demonstrating for their king. 113 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:10,120 But let me ask you something. That King Darius ever humble 114 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:16,600 himself to receive persecution or dishonor from others? 115 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:24,760 Did King Darius ever set aside His Royal Majesty to serve his 116 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:30,560 subjects? Has King Darius ever entertained 117 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:36,559 the thought of laying down his life for his enemies? 118 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:41,440 Of course not. And yet he still received such 119 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,280 fierce loyalty from those within his Kingdom. 120 00:08:47,680 --> 00:08:53,680 And yet we have a King who exceeds all rulers, All Saints, 121 00:08:54,520 --> 00:09:02,440 all prophets, and his beauty and his humility and his sacrifice 122 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:08,080 and his great love. What more do Christians need in 123 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,920 their motivation to obey this King other than the fact that it 124 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,880 pleases him, that it blesses him? 125 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:18,480 What other stimulation do we need? 126 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:21,800 Is there anything greater than the thought and knowing that 127 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:26,320 what he asks of me after all that he has done for me is 128 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,480 enough? Knowing the the thought crossing 129 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:33,160 my mind that this simply blesses the heart of my King should be 130 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,080 enough for us to do whatever he asks of us. 131 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:42,040 And so I look at Tat and I and I look at his associates and I 132 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:48,000 realized that their diligence for Darius should never outshine 133 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,480 what you and I are supposed to do for our king. 134 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,880 Moreover, the reason why this diligence is highlighted is 135 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,640 because it contributes to the completion of the temple that 136 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:01,280 we're about to read about. But this is not the only thing 137 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,520 that's highlighted. There's another thing that's 138 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:08,200 underscored in verse 14. Look at it again with me and the 139 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,840 elders of the Jews built and prospered through the 140 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,040 prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of 141 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,360 ID do don't you love that phrase? 142 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,680 They they prospered through the prophesying. 143 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,040 Now this is where we have to be clear. 144 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:32,240 This is not telling us that the Jews at this time, we're simply 145 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,640 riding on the momentum of the initial word that Haggai and 146 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,760 Zechariah gave when he tried to, when they tried to wake them up 147 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,440 from their years of complacency. Remember, God raised these two 148 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,760 men up to approach the same crowd who for many years 149 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,120 neglected the temple. And he said, hey, come on, 150 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:51,400 you're focusing too much on yourself. 151 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:53,600 You're ignoring God's house. This is the reason why He 152 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:58,080 brought you back to this land. This is not a commentary about 153 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:02,240 how they have been energized from that word, though it could 154 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:05,400 have played a part. Instead, what's being explained 155 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:10,240 here is the success of this group of people through the 156 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:16,040 regular, consistent messages of Zechariah and Haggai. 157 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,360 In other words, the reason why they were able to prosper 158 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:26,520 spiritually was because they were continually exposed to the 159 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:32,800 Word of God. And this reveals many things 160 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,560 about us. Let me just highlight one of 161 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,720 them. I believe it shows just how 162 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,920 easily we as God's people can become discouraged or 163 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:44,760 distracted. It's possible. 164 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:46,760 It's possible for you sitting here right now as you're hearing 165 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,200 this. It's possible for anybody. 166 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,880 Think about it. The first time that the Jews 167 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,440 stopped the building of the Temple was because initially 168 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,160 there was pushback from their neighbors. 169 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:01,960 There was threats, there was persecution. 170 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:07,320 And so they paused, and they paused too long because they 171 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,240 became caught up with other affairs. 172 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:11,520 But what's happening at this point? 173 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,880 Is there any opposition towards their efforts? 174 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:19,160 No, the opposite. Not only are there no obstacles 175 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,960 at this point, but you even have grants from the government, 176 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,720 allowance from kings to let you do whatever you need to do with 177 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:31,240 greater effect and speed. And even with this incredible 178 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,560 opportunity set before them, we learned that the real reason why 179 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:39,360 they prospered was because they were receiving the Word of God 180 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,880 regularly. In other words, even with this 181 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,800 open door before them, they still needed to be exhorted. 182 00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:49,480 They still need to be reminded. They still need to be motivated. 183 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:53,760 What does that tell you about you and me? 184 00:12:54,440 --> 00:13:00,240 That this flesh is remarkable at finding ways to drain our 185 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,640 enthusiasm for God, even if everything in your life is 186 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:08,600 cooperating? That's what's happening here. 187 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:11,680 Darius gave them the green light. 188 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,480 And yet the Holy Spirit wants to bring to mind that the people of 189 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,640 God still needed the Word of God to redirect and keep them 190 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:24,240 aligned, keep them stable. And how much of this is a 191 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:28,240 temptation to us as Christians in America who have been granted 192 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:33,000 a level of liberty that this world has rarely known in all of 193 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,200 history? So then why is it that with so 194 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:42,280 much in our favor as the church, is it so common for many 195 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:47,560 Christians to be inconsistent? And their spiritual zeal and 196 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:49,480 their fervor and their commitment to whatever ministry 197 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,720 they signed up for week after week, month after month, year 198 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,920 after year? In no way is it God's will for 199 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:02,360 us to fluctuate in our faithfulness to to succumb to 200 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,520 whatever weakens our hands. But listen, He is incredibly 201 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:07,440 gracious. He knows that we have the 202 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:09,720 temptation to falter. He knows that we have the 203 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,600 tendency to quit even even if you're standing underneath a 204 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:15,440 shower of his blessing like they are. 205 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,800 Here you have the king of Assyria. 206 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,160 In this context, Darius was also the king of Persia, giving them 207 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,560 all that they want, and they still needed a supernatural 208 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:29,520 force to remain in the will of God, which is exactly the 209 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:33,040 answer. God is so gracious in knowing 210 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,200 our weaknesses that He supplies exactly what we need to know. 211 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:37,800 Sustainability. What is it? 212 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:43,760 The regular hearing and receiving of God's Word, that is 213 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,840 what's highlighted and explaining the reason for their 214 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:56,160 spiritual prosperity. You and I have no chance of 215 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,600 remaining steadfast if we distance ourselves from this 216 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:04,360 book, if we remove ourselves from a place like this that 217 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:08,440 faithfully points us to what God has said and is saying still 218 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:15,040 through His Word. And we actually have insight 219 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:21,440 here about what it was that was said on a continual basis to 220 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:26,040 keep this people energized. Because Haggai and Zechariah 221 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:32,080 have books with their names on it in our Bibles, and we won't 222 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,840 go into it. But if you read their content, 223 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:39,600 you'll learn that what they said to the same audience included 224 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,440 encouragement, included warning, included promises, included 225 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:47,400 faithful and wonderful hopeful insight into the future. 226 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:51,520 All these things combined is what helped this people navigate 227 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,240 each day. I mean, think about, here's one 228 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,800 that many of us know. What does it do to you to hear 229 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,960 something like Zechariah 46, the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel? 230 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:07,360 Not by might, nor by power, but by my what Spirit says the Lord 231 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:12,440 that'll move you. And so you get an idea of what 232 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:19,320 it was that these two prophets conveyed to flow fresh fuel into 233 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,400 their hearts, to remain anchored. 234 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:29,000 And that is why it is one of Satan's favorite strategies to 235 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:34,640 drive you away from engaging with this book, to lure you from 236 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:38,880 coming to a church that exalts God's Word, explains God's Word, 237 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:40,640 exhorts people through God's Word. 238 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,720 He understands that if he can cut you off from this, he cuts 239 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,000 off your life source. And it's just a matter of time 240 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,120 before you shrivel up and you give yourself to something 241 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:55,760 futile and fury even sinful. You will never be able, never be 242 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,400 able to point someone to me who claims to be a consistent 243 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:04,560 Christian and doesn't have a consistent and humble engagement 244 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:06,400 and relationship with the written Word of God. 245 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,319 You won't be able to find one impossible. 246 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,359 And that principle is so obvious here. 247 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:16,079 It was through the prophesying of the prophets of the word of 248 00:17:16,079 --> 00:17:22,240 the Lord through them that help these remnant prosper 249 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,000 spiritually. So let's go on now. 250 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,440 We read these first 2 verses of this section, but let's continue 251 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:33,400 in verse 15. And this house was finished on 252 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,720 the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the 253 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:43,160 reign of Darius the king. So the end of verse 14, we 254 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:44,400 realized that they finished the building. 255 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,440 This is a remarkable thing. This is a huge milestone. 256 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,920 And so important was it that in verse 15, Ezra gives us the date 257 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:57,080 of its completion. Do we remember when, however, 258 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,840 the work of the temple resumed after it was ignored for so 259 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:03,480 long? Does anybody remember when? 260 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:06,840 If you don't, Oh good, who said it? 261 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,000 Say it out loud. What year of Darius's reign? 262 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:12,320 The second. If you need confirmation, look 263 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:19,120 at Ezra 424 for a moment. Ezra 424 Then the work on the 264 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:23,800 House of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased 265 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,640 until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia. 266 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:33,160 So the work began again in the second year of Darius the king, 267 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,680 and it was completed in the sixth year. 268 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,800 So how long did it take him to rebuild the temple? 269 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:45,800 Four years, Four years? Even with all the diligence that 270 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,000 they offered, even with the really miraculous support from 271 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,600 the Persian government, it still took this group of people four 272 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,360 years to resurrect this structure. 273 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,200 But I actually want to argue that it took longer than that. 274 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,680 When you zoom out, it actually took much more time because 275 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:10,400 we're only counting from when the work of the temple resumed 276 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:15,080 again to its completion. But we're not considering the 277 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:19,200 time that passed from the people laying the foundation of the 278 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:24,360 temple and them getting distracted until they started 279 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:27,600 again. So we learned that when these 280 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:30,560 Jews came back from Babylon to Jerusalem, they almost 281 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,920 immediately laid the foundation of this house. 282 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,080 Then persecution emerged. They were intimidated, they got 283 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,440 scared. They use it as an excuse, and 284 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,280 they start focusing on their own houses. 285 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:47,400 From that time of laying the foundation to the second year of 286 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:49,960 Darius where they began the house again, working on the 287 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,880 House again, many beliefs, 16 years had passed. 288 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,280 So when we consider that whole timeline, how many years did it 289 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,160 really take to rebuild the temple? 290 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:04,120 The simple math, there's no trick question. 20 years, 20 to 291 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:07,760 21 years for the single building to be rebuilt. 292 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,160 Last night I just sat back and I thought to myself, in that same 293 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:17,600 amount of time they could have rebuilt five of these temples. 294 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:27,160 But instead, because of what? Idleness and worldly ambition. 295 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:34,960 They built one. I praise God that this part of 296 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:41,120 Ezra's story, really all of Ezra's story, is one of grace 297 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,320 and God's faithfulness and his mercy, undeniably. 298 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,120 But here I want to highlight that it offers a sobering 299 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:54,960 warning about the value of time and how if we're not careful, 300 00:20:54,960 --> 00:21:00,800 even as God's children, we can forfeit a lot of it easily, 301 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:09,040 especially in this age. For some who are listening, as 302 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:14,640 you look back at years, you may have to admit that you barely, 303 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:17,360 barely invested anything in building your relationship with 304 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,960 God. No. 305 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:24,160 No reading plan, little time and prayer. 306 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:30,080 No investment in any kind of ministry. 307 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:37,400 Be careful because I don't want it to be said of anybody, 308 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:43,480 including for myself, that we lived our days in such a way 309 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:51,120 that years passed by and it can hit us where we wonder and think 310 00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:57,760 to ourselves, where could I have been in the Lord if I did not 311 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:03,680 burn my time on useless things? That's totally possible. 312 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:13,200 Time is the most precious gift in many ways because you can't 313 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:14,760 get it back. You know this very well. 314 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,840 And it could be also that there's some sitting here who've 315 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,040 come to that painful realization and you can't seem to shake off 316 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,160 the guilt. But I want to comfort you that 317 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,640 it does no good for you to reflect on on years wasted, 318 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:32,360 whether that be because you were living outside of Christ or 319 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:35,800 because even in Christ you named his name, but you squandered 320 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,520 many of your years. It does no good. 321 00:22:41,360 --> 00:22:46,480 Instead, if you are reminded of that, use that as as motivation 322 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,840 to guard the days ahead. We don't know how many God, how 323 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:52,960 many years God is going to give us or days or months or weeks. 324 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,320 We have no clue. But if you are among those who 325 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,760 feel, I wish I got saved earlier. 326 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,400 I wish I wasn't so foolish with the resources that were at my 327 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:05,200 disposal. I should have listened to my mom 328 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,760 and dad, to my older brother. I should have paid attention to 329 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,600 those sermons all those years. Now I'm getting older, I'm 330 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,040 getting more frail. Now I have more responsibility. 331 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,480 All the all the free time I had as a single man, Just listen. 332 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:22,760 When those things haunt you, recycle it and then use it to 333 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,000 say with whatever time I have left, I will live maximally for 334 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,800 God and listen for anybody, no matter where you are in light of 335 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:36,640 this, for anybody who chooses to from this moment on, live for 336 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:40,360 the will of God. Joy is promised for you joy 337 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:43,080 today and joy tomorrow. In fact, that's what we we find 338 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,480 next. Let's read now from verse 16 339 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:49,520 down to verse 18. And the people of Israel, the 340 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:54,160 priest and the Levites and the rest of the return exiles 341 00:23:54,160 --> 00:24:00,400 celebrated the dedication of this House of God with joy, with 342 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,160 joy. Highlight those two words with 343 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:07,320 joy they offered at the dedication of this House of God. 344 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:14,480 100 bulls, 200 Rams, 400 lambs, and a sin offering for all 345 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,760 Israel, 12 male goats according to the number of the tribes of 346 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,840 Israel. And they set the priests and 347 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,160 their divisions and the Levites and their divisions for the 348 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:26,320 service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of 349 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:30,640 Moses. So the house is now done, and 350 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,600 they're putting it to use. But before they do anything, 351 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,080 they're almost putting together a grand opening. 352 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,840 But it's more sacred than that. They want to consecrate this 353 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:45,320 house to God's glory, and so they they put together some of 354 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,440 their resources and they offered at the dedication. 355 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,440 If you put all those animals together and their numbers, 356 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,600 you're talking about 700. If you include the sin offering 357 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,240 that 712 beasts of different kinds. 358 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:03,640 That detail may seem irrelevant or insignificant to you, but it 359 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:05,400 carries meaning when you do one thing. 360 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,840 Remember that this was not the only dedication that took place 361 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,440 in Israel's history towards and for the House of God. 362 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,000 This is the second temple. Before the 2nd temple, there was 363 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,680 Solomon's Temple. Was there a dedication service 364 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:21,360 for Solomon's Temple? Yes. 365 00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:23,440 Do you remember how many beasts were offered then? 366 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,320 A lot. Can I remind you how much? 367 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:32,240 Turn to 1st Kings chapter 8 and look at verse 62. 368 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:43,920 First Kings chapter 8 verse 62. Then the king and all Israel 369 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,720 with him offered sacrifice before the Lord. 370 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:53,400 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 371 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:59,040 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people 372 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,600 of Israel dedicated the House of the Lord. 373 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:04,360 So when it came to the celebration of the first temple, 374 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,720 you're talking about 142,000 animals. 375 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:12,200 Quite the difference, isn't it? In fact, 1 might be tempted to 376 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:14,640 think by comparison, the dedication of the second temple 377 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:21,680 feels a little embarrassing, maybe worthless. 712 in 378 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:28,400 comparison to 142,000. A very great difference in terms 379 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:32,160 of the size of the offering. But I want to convey to you that 380 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,800 there is something similar that these two generations shared. 381 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:40,280 One word, one word. It's a very simple word, Joy, 382 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,640 joy. There is joy in Solomon's day. 383 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,120 Scroll down to verse 66 at First Kings 8. 384 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:52,720 What is said on the 8th day? He sent the people away and they 385 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:59,000 blessed the king and went to their homes, joyful and glad of 386 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:04,000 heart for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to David his 387 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,440 servant and to Israel his people. 388 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:11,440 Now go back to Ezra 6, Ezra 6 verse 16 says, and the people of 389 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:13,800 Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the 390 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:17,840 return exiles celebrated the dedication of this House of God 391 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,480 with joy. So both experienced joy. 392 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,440 In fact, look what the Holy Spirit does in Ezra 616. 393 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,280 He's so specific. It says here that they 394 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:32,800 celebrated the dedication of this house, this house, as if to 395 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,440 emphasize from the human standpoint that what seems to be 396 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:41,240 inferior, the inferiority of this house and the far less 397 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:46,800 impressive dedication of this house did not determine their 398 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:48,520 joy. It didn't. 399 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,880 So how was it that with only 712, you're talking about a 400 00:27:54,880 --> 00:28:00,840 meager offering? Was this crowd able to genuinely 401 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:05,000 rejoice in this moment? You know the answers in the same 402 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,840 chapter and it's glorious. Look at the last verse of Ezra 403 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:12,440 6. You heard this last week if you 404 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,560 were here. Ezra 622 And they kept the feast 405 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:18,520 of Unleavened bread 7 days with joy. 406 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:20,800 There it is again. For the Lord had made them 407 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:23,840 joyful. For the Lord had made them 408 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:25,160 joyful. And I turned the heart of the 409 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,400 king of Assyria to them so that he aided them in the work of the 410 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,840 House of God, the God of Israel. That's the answer. 411 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:39,200 God made them joyful. And there are a couple of things 412 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:43,800 we can learn from this that will change your life radically if 413 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:52,160 you actually choose to believe it #1 God can make us joyful 414 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:58,120 whether you have little or much. No matter what you possess, it 415 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:04,080 is possible to actually be happy, to know genuine 416 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,160 contentment. You know this could have been 417 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:09,240 another occasion for this generation of return exiles to 418 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,520 weep like they did when they laid the foundation of the 419 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:14,920 temple. You remember that some rejoice 420 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,160 when they laid the foundation and other wept. 421 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,600 Why did they weep? Because the older generation 422 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:23,800 remembered Solomon's temple and so they couldn't help but 423 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,400 compare and think, this is it. This is what we've been restored 424 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:33,000 to. But supposing that that older 425 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,760 generation is still alive because it could have been that 426 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,480 they died, so there's a little bit less weeping because they're 427 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,360 no longer alive. That's possible, but let's just 428 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:43,680 suppose that they're still alive. 429 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,760 God worked in their hearts in such a way that they can 430 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:55,640 recognize the good of the moment and give God glory and 431 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,920 experience a wave of genuine joy. 432 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,520 It's a work of God despite their lack. 433 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:08,680 And in this case, the people experience something unique and 434 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:10,360 they discerned it, right? We read it in the verse. 435 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:15,760 They discerned that God moved in the heart of Darius for their 436 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,200 favor, and he aided them to build this house. 437 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,800 That's a different testimony than Solomon, isn't it? 438 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,360 In Solomon's case, God just prospered him and his 439 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,440 administration and and the nation at that time to enable 440 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,040 them to build the temple at such a grand scale. 441 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,840 It's two different testimonies, but it says the same thing, that 442 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:38,800 God is still at work and they understood that God is still at 443 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,440 work doesn't look the same, but it doesn't dismiss the fact that 444 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:46,120 he is moving in our midst and we can rejoice because of that. 445 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,960 If your joy is in what you have or what you don't have, I 446 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,800 promise you a very fickle and flimsy contentment. 447 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,800 It won't last because possessions and materials come 448 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,120 and go. But if your joy is in God, if 449 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:10,240 your joy is in Christ, who's always working no matter what 450 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,560 you own, you will know happiness that will endure all 451 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:18,000 circumstances. And that's why Israel's past 452 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,120 success did not cloud their contentment here. 453 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:27,640 There's no comparison here like they did earlier, because it was 454 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,520 God who worked in their hearts. And the source of the joy was 455 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:33,000 what God was doing, the fingerprints that they were able 456 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:36,000 to recognize, ha ha, they were able to rejoice. 457 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:39,600 There's another thing to consider. 458 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,440 True joy isn't found in what you have, but in what you do with 459 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:50,760 what you have. You can't separate the theme of 460 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:57,400 joy with Solomon and an Ezra's story with the reality of 461 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:59,520 sacrifice and the worship of God. 462 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:06,240 Joy is found in those contexts. They rejoice in First Kings 8. 463 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:07,400 Why? Because they were able to 464 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,840 recognize the goodness of the Lord to David and his 465 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,360 descendants here. They recognize the goodness of 466 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:15,800 the Lord because He was moving the hearts of leaders of nations 467 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,760 on their behalf. But also they've come to 468 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:27,920 sacrifice and they've come to worship God, and they are living 469 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:31,240 at a point where they are prioritizing God's house. 470 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,080 See, knowing joy is not just recognizing that God is a 471 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:37,880 fountain of all your blessings. That's true. 472 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,840 If you really want to unlock it in your heart, you have to be 473 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,920 willing to come to a place of responding to that truth with 474 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:52,000 unreserved worship. So when you make the Kingdom of 475 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,800 God your priority, when you make Christ's pleasure your desire, 476 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:59,160 when your devotion to Him is all that you really want, that will 477 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:03,520 position you to receive and experience God's joy no matter 478 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,880 what your possessions look like. It will put everything in its 479 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,480 proper perspective. And that's what we find here. 480 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:17,120 We're going to worship God. We're going to sacrifice what we 481 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,080 can give Him. We've prioritized His house. 482 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:22,280 And that's why you see this repeated truth. 483 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,160 Joy, joy, joy, joy. And that's why perhaps some of 484 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:31,880 you are miserable, because you've stuffed theological 485 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:35,040 statements and truths and doctrinal ideas in your head, 486 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:36,400 but you've never responded to it. 487 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,360 And other things take precedence in your life. 488 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:42,840 Other things have greater priority. 489 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:48,360 Other things are demanding your devotion, and so you don't 490 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:50,960 understand the numbness and you perhaps look at other Christians 491 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:53,440 and you criticize them because you, you, you think this is a 492 00:33:53,440 --> 00:33:55,720 little bit too ecstatic. This is a little bit too much. 493 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:00,000 But what you find in these two instances when we compare it 494 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:05,960 with Solomon and Ezra, that the the experience of joy is within 495 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:11,239 the realm of sacrifice and worship and living for God's 496 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:18,199 house, God's name, God's glory. That was true for the churches 497 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:19,520 in Macedonia. Have you ever heard of them? 498 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:23,600 Do you remember how Paul described the churches in 499 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:27,040 Macedonia when he praised them for their financial partnership 500 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:30,000 when he was raising funds from the different churches to help 501 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,880 the poor Saints in Jerusalem? This will blow your mind. 502 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:42,880 Go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 8, Second Corinthians chapter 8 and 503 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:52,560 look at verse one with me. 2nd Corinthians 8 verse one Paul 504 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,760 says to the Corinthians, We want you to know brothers, about the 505 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,080 grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. 506 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:04,560 For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of 507 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:12,280 joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed and a wealth of 508 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:17,320 generosity on their part. How do those two descriptions 509 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:24,960 fit in the same statement? Abundance of joy right next to 510 00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:26,000 what? Extreme? 511 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,520 Not just poverty, extreme poverty. 512 00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:34,080 Now, poverty in America in 2026 looks different than poverty and 513 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,360 antiquity. And we're not talking even about 514 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:39,880 the poor. He's talking about extreme 515 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:44,000 poverty. And yet somehow the Macedonian 516 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:48,800 believers tapped into not even just not just joy, abundant joy. 517 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:54,480 It reinforces the truth that we're learning in Ezra, does it 518 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:59,160 not? That your joy is not in what you 519 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:05,080 have, it's in God himself. And your joy can heighten and 520 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:12,200 mature on what you do with what you have and in this context, 521 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,720 with the little that they have. They wanted to somehow play a 522 00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:18,200 part in the relief of the Saints in Jerusalem. 523 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:22,080 You're saying, what's the secret? 524 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:25,200 How do I get to this point? Because brother, if I'm honest, 525 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,080 I'm a wreck. I'm numb. 526 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:34,960 I'm going through the motions. Let me offer a potential insight 527 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,800 to the reason why you can't figure out your own misery. 528 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,160 Do you know why the Macedonian believers were able to do what 529 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:44,560 they're doing here? Do you know why they were able 530 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:49,680 to know the spring of joy to the point that it almost just LED 531 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:53,520 them to this, to this decision to sacrifice in this way? 532 00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:55,640 Look at verse 5, Second Corinthians 8, verse 5. 533 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:59,600 Paul's still talking about them and he says and this not as we 534 00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:06,360 expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and 535 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:10,760 then by the will of God to us. The reason why these believers 536 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,640 were the way that they were, the reason why they knew this 537 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:15,320 abundant joy is because they made a decision. 538 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:17,040 I'm going to give myself first to the Lord. 539 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:26,520 He calls the shots of my life. I submit to him but my own 540 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:30,200 desires. But when you really taste of 541 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:36,200 this joy, your desires become His desires, and you live in 542 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:44,920 this genuine, awesome growth of joy as the days go by. 543 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:46,840 That doesn't mean that joy isn't challenge. 544 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,320 It doesn't mean that sometimes you ask, like what the psalmist 545 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:51,560 said, why are you cast down, O my soul? 546 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,800 But you will have a reference point in your soul where you 547 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,480 know what it's like to know God's joy, and you won't settle 548 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:03,400 for anything else. Let's look at the last parts of 549 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:10,360 Ezra 6, verse 19, down to verse 22. 550 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:17,520 On the 14th day of the first month, the return exiles kept 551 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:21,400 the Passover for the priests and the Levites had purified 552 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,560 themselves together. All of them were clean. 553 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:25,680 Oh, I'd love to say so much about that. 554 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:30,000 All of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover 555 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,560 lamb for all the return exiles, for their fellow priests and for 556 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,400 themselves. It was eaten by the people of 557 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:39,760 Israel who had returned from exile, and also by everyone who 558 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:44,360 had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of 559 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:46,920 the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of 560 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,080 Israel. So apparently you had Gentiles 561 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,560 along this journey who realized that the God of Israel is the 562 00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,520 true God, and they yoked themselves to the true God by 563 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:56,680 faith. These are proselytes. 564 00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:00,080 These are converts. I'm not going to comment on that 565 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:03,480 too much either. Let's look at verse 22. 566 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:09,160 And they kept the Feast of Unleavened bread 7 days with 567 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:12,680 joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart 568 00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:15,800 of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the 569 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:17,720 work of the House of God, the God of Israel. 570 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:23,080 So many things can be said here, as I already mentioned, but I 571 00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,280 want to just focus on one simple thing, one observation from 572 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:32,720 these last verses. Three out of the four verses we 573 00:39:32,720 --> 00:39:39,040 just read include this identity about the people of Israel, the 574 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,520 people of Judah. The Holy Spirit labels them as 575 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:47,640 the returned exiles 3 times in 4 verses, the return exile. 576 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,640 Some other translations say the descendants of captivity or the 577 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,600 children of captivity. Here's my question. 578 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:59,080 Why I emphasize that here. Aren't we far enough into the 579 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:02,320 story of Ezra to know that we are reading about the captives 580 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:04,000 who had returned from Babylon to Jerusalem? 581 00:40:04,440 --> 00:40:07,480 Why do I need to hear it over and over in this closing 582 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,440 section? It's the return exiles. 583 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:11,520 It's the return exiles is the return exiles. 584 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:16,760 I know it's the return exiles. Here's what I believe the answer 585 00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:22,880 is. There's something about the 586 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:26,480 enjoyment and the celebration of the Passover and the unleavened 587 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:32,000 bread. That connects with the truth of 588 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,720 the return exiles. In other words, the people of 589 00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:40,000 Israel have not experienced these holy feast in the fullest 590 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:44,560 sense like what we're seeing here since the days before their 591 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:48,120 exile. This is huge. 592 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:55,440 This is massive, and the Holy Spirit wants us to know that it 593 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:58,960 was the return exiles who enjoyed it. 594 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:03,160 Think about it this way. The book of Ezra opens with a 595 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:04,800 decree. Cyrus, who was the king of 596 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:09,680 Persia at that time, extended an invitation to the Jews in 597 00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:11,160 Babylon. You can go back home if you 598 00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:13,120 want. Now, did he extend that 599 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:15,440 invitation to all of the Jews or some of the Jews? 600 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,080 All of them? All of them. 601 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:25,720 Did all of them go? No, some of them. 602 00:41:26,520 --> 00:41:29,680 And we've discussed in the past perhaps some of the reasons why 603 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:32,960 many of these Jews decide to stay back in Babylon. 604 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:40,120 But now we come to this point in Ezra's story, and here's the 605 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:44,040 question we have to ask. Who are the ones who are 606 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:49,440 experiencing the Holy Feasts and in the proper way? 607 00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:54,480 Who are the ones who are now relishing in the presence of God 608 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:59,480 in the House of God once again? Who are the ones who are being 609 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:03,040 renewed in their understanding of the revelation of God's mercy 610 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:06,360 and might in His temple? Who are the ones, the ones who 611 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:08,160 decided to pay a price to go back? 612 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:15,880 Those are the ones. This is why, in part, this 613 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:21,560 repetition is made to emphasize this reality that the ones who 614 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:25,640 chose to go back were the ones who relished in this revival and 615 00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,480 entered into a new level in the relationship with the living 616 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:33,480 God. Here's what that means for you 617 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,080 and I. There are certain spiritual 618 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:41,680 advantages and there are certain experiences that can only come 619 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:46,720 to those who are willing to walk away from what God asked them to 620 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:49,240 walk away from to truly know them. 621 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:55,320 Sometimes the things that we have to separate ourselves from 622 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:57,800 are sinful. Other times they're just 623 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,920 temporal. They're shallow, they're 624 00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:02,960 foolish, they're vain, they're pointless. 625 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:10,240 But whatever the nature of our hindrances may be, one thing is 626 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:14,440 for certain, sacrifice of various kinds is often the path 627 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:21,080 to spiritual reward. The returned exiles were the 628 00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:26,160 ones who got to taste the miracle before them. 629 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:33,040 But they first had to make a very difficult decision to walk 630 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:37,400 away from familiarity, to walk away potentially from family and 631 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:45,200 friends, a new way of life, to go back to a land of 632 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:48,760 destitution, to a lot of hard work, to to enemies that are 633 00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:51,640 ready to devour you at your most vulnerable point. 634 00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:56,960 But because they understood that life is ultimately about the 635 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:01,640 glory of God, they took that step of faith and now they are 636 00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:04,120 enjoying something that others are not. 637 00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:12,320 So here I am reading this, studying this, ruminating over 638 00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:15,360 it, and I'm thinking to myself, there's got to be so many other 639 00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:21,160 examples of this principle, even in the New Testament. 640 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:24,760 And for whatever reason, the one example, and potentially because 641 00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:28,640 it deals with an individual, and perhaps because I preached about 642 00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:32,480 a many, many, many years ago, even before Maranatha Bible 643 00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:37,000 Church existed, I thought maybe this is a good way to illustrate 644 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:42,760 it in a personal way. Have you ever considered how the 645 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,600 Bible introduces us to the person, the character, the 646 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:52,440 minister named Timothy? Go to Acts 16. 647 00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:57,480 Here's where we'll land because I just want to solidify this 648 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,400 truth in our hearts. The sacrifice of various kinds 649 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:03,360 is often the path to spiritual reward. 650 00:45:03,760 --> 00:45:05,720 Acts 16. This is where we're introduced 651 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:09,960 to Timothy and Acts 16 verse one. 652 00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:19,440 Paul came also to Deer Bee and to Lystra. 653 00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:22,960 A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish 654 00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:25,920 woman who was a believer, but his father was Greek. 655 00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:30,200 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 656 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:35,320 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. 657 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:41,680 Pause there. What an honor, this remarkable 658 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:45,440 man of God by the name of Paul, who was once a terrorist who 659 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:51,320 terrorized the church, who is now the leading apostle in many 660 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:55,680 ways, comes into town to check on the the Saints. 661 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:59,640 And he, he discovers about this man named Timothy, a young man, 662 00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:03,520 and all the brethren, all the believers there speak well of 663 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:05,640 him. Now we know Timothy's a young 664 00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:08,960 man even when Paul writes to him after he becomes a pastor. 665 00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:11,840 So if he was young when he was a pastor of the Church of Ephesus, 666 00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:16,360 how young was he here? It's really a reminder for young 667 00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:20,440 people to to not wait to take your faith seriously. 668 00:46:21,240 --> 00:46:26,760 Don't delay in your seriousness because Timothy didn't all of a 669 00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:28,880 sudden become genuine in his faith. 670 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:32,280 He always was to the point when Paul walked into town, the 671 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:35,880 believer says you got to meet this young man, this exceptional 672 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:38,320 St. named Timothy. Paul meets him. 673 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:40,520 I wonder what the conversation was like. 674 00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:45,080 But it was enough for this man, and Paul was picky with who he 675 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:46,320 worked with. You know that, right? 676 00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:52,000 I want you to come with me. I want you to be a partner in my 677 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:55,800 missionary endeavors. The thrill. 678 00:46:57,520 --> 00:47:00,320 But it came at a price. Look at verse 3 again. 679 00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:03,440 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him and he took him and 680 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:10,320 circumcised him because of the Jews who are in those places, 681 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:12,160 for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 682 00:47:14,160 --> 00:47:18,440 Many, many people will come to this text to debate. 683 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:21,000 I've heard it, I've read about it. 684 00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:23,840 What's the debate about? Was Paul right in circumcising 685 00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:28,840 Timothy, the Paul go against his convictions? 686 00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:34,560 Or is Paul being strategic? There's the clashes, and there's 687 00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:36,240 the blog post and there's the commentaries. 688 00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:37,720 That's fine. I think it's an important 689 00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:40,120 conversation to have. But you want, you know what? 690 00:47:40,120 --> 00:47:43,080 I've never stumbled upon somebody coming to this text to 691 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:48,040 speak about Timothy. This is the first time Timothy's 692 00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:51,960 mentioned in the Bible. What does this say about this 693 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:56,240 young man? He says something about the 694 00:47:56,240 --> 00:48:01,040 price he was willing to pay to follow the call of God. 695 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:07,080 You can debate if Paul was writing this or not, but just 696 00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:09,400 focus in and look at it from Timothy's perspective. 697 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:14,800 He was not 8 days old when he was circumcised in this part of 698 00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:18,000 the story, you know that, right? He was a young man, very 699 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:23,080 conscious, very aware, but very willing. 700 00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:30,080 And what I thought to myself was what if Timothy had denied such 701 00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:31,200 a thing? What if he had rejected it? 702 00:48:31,200 --> 00:48:33,960 What if he thought this is a no thank you? 703 00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:40,200 I appreciate the invitation, but I think I'll just go on with my 704 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:46,360 life the way it always has been. He would have missed out on the 705 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:52,760 adventure of a lifetime. You get the impression from the 706 00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:56,440 Bible that Timothy had a stronger relationship with his 707 00:48:56,440 --> 00:49:03,280 mom and his grandmother. The implication is that his 708 00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:06,800 father, yes, was a Gentile, but also an unbelieving Gentile. 709 00:49:08,160 --> 00:49:10,880 So how how present was Timothy's dad in his life? 710 00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:15,600 We don't know. But you know, because of this 711 00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:19,160 moment in his life, he gained a spiritual father. 712 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:24,040 And more than that, Paul entrusted him with one of the 713 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:26,880 most thriving churches in the region. 714 00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:32,000 Timothy became the teaching elder in Ephesus. 715 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:37,200 And what about all the other adventures in the stories of 716 00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:39,760 these trips and the miracles that he beheld and the 717 00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:44,400 conference that he saw? I bring all this up to say that 718 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:49,560 it all hinged upon a personal sacrifice. 719 00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:59,280 Difficult decision to walk away from comfort in a very real way. 720 00:50:06,330 --> 00:50:13,170 And yet there are many people professing Christians who are 721 00:50:13,170 --> 00:50:15,010 not willing to walk away from some things. 722 00:50:18,810 --> 00:50:21,330 You will not know the fullness of God's will until you fully 723 00:50:21,330 --> 00:50:26,890 give yourself over to Him. How much time has passed in your 724 00:50:26,890 --> 00:50:31,640 life where you consciously know that you're holding something 725 00:50:31,640 --> 00:50:37,560 back? Let it change for 2026. 726 00:50:40,240 --> 00:50:43,560 I've yet to be convinced that somebody has more joy, more 727 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,880 peace, more excitement in their life living for themselves and 728 00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:49,680 living for God. You know, somebody show me 729 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:55,880 after, show me after. And don't show me an Instagram 730 00:50:55,880 --> 00:51:00,040 profile or a TikTok account. Some of those people are the 731 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:03,760 most miserable of them all. Always need to live for people's 732 00:51:03,960 --> 00:51:08,640 applause and recognition. Somebody, somebody who's rock 733 00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:18,900 solid content, immovable, and doesn't have a relationship with 734 00:51:18,900 --> 00:51:20,860 the living God because they have surrendered everything. 735 00:51:24,060 --> 00:51:28,900 I can go and show you example after example after example of 736 00:51:28,900 --> 00:51:31,860 how the Bible presents this constant theme. 737 00:51:33,760 --> 00:51:37,000 A sacrifice is the path for spiritual reward. 738 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,640 In Timothy's case, I mean, his life was never the same. 739 00:51:40,280 --> 00:51:42,520 In the case of these returned exiles, they had to make a 740 00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:47,120 decision many, many years ago. We will go back and they got to 741 00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:52,000 stand in the courts of the Second Temple, while some, for 742 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:54,040 selfish reasons, stayed back in Babylon. 743 00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:58,800 Why? Because they had a business that 744 00:51:58,800 --> 00:52:03,880 they started or because they had a new home. 745 00:52:03,880 --> 00:52:07,160 And some Levites surely wanted to stay back because they got 746 00:52:07,160 --> 00:52:08,280 land. And when you went back to 747 00:52:08,280 --> 00:52:09,600 Israel, you have to give up your land. 748 00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:13,880 You have to live by faith. But what do we find at the end 749 00:52:13,880 --> 00:52:18,280 of Ezra 6? Joy, joy, joy, joy, joy for the 750 00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:22,800 return to exiles. Lord, we thank you for this 751 00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:30,360 Bible study. How amazing it is to even look 752 00:52:30,360 --> 00:52:37,160 at a corner of your word that is so historical, so specific, so 753 00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:45,320 obscure, and yet it can be so packed with power. 754 00:52:53,060 --> 00:52:56,620 We confess gladly that we believe this is the Word of God. 755 00:52:58,180 --> 00:53:03,920 It's so sharp. You never fail to show us just 756 00:53:03,920 --> 00:53:08,160 how precise the sword of the Spirit is. 757 00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:18,360 Lord. Many things were said and we 758 00:53:18,360 --> 00:53:21,720 pray that the same way. The prophesying of Haggai and 759 00:53:21,720 --> 00:53:27,040 Zechariah kept the people focused and energized. 760 00:53:27,760 --> 00:53:32,320 May this Bible study and the ones to come provide that same 761 00:53:32,320 --> 00:53:39,160 grace. Help us believe that this book 762 00:53:39,160 --> 00:53:47,600 in our hands is our lifeline. Lord, we pause to rejoice, to 763 00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:49,360 give you thanks for how you've spoken to us. 764 00:53:49,680 --> 00:53:54,360 Be glorified in all things in Jesus name, Amen. 765 00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:02,720 Why don't we stand and let's worship God?