1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,000 If you have your Bibles with me, meet me in the book of Ezra 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,320 chapter 1. Ezra chapter 1. 3 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,680 I trust that you were there last week, and if you weren't here in 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:13,920 person, hopefully you listen to the recording. 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,880 It might have been a surprise to us that in the opening verses of 6 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:23,040 this book, we were not introduced to the one whom the 7 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:27,240 book is named after. In fact, we learned last week 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:32,200 that Ezra does not even appear in this study until Chapter 7. 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,080 More surprising, perhaps, is that at the very outset of this 10 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:44,480 text, we're not even met by an Israelite nor Judea. 11 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:50,520 In fact, we are immediately introduced to a Gentile Cyrus 12 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,320 King of Persia. Cyrus King of Persia is 13 00:00:54,320 --> 00:01:01,240 mentioned three times in the 1st 2 verses, and also Cyrus is the 14 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:06,120 first person to have his speech recorded in this book. 15 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,760 And we discovered in our introduction how significant 16 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,920 this figure Cyrus is, not just in this particular narrative, 17 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,640 but in our understanding of the precision of God's prophetic 18 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:26,040 word. Because Cyrus was predicted by 19 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:33,320 Isaiah by name, even the details of his career nearly 200 years 20 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:38,320 before his birth, it's one of the most significant passages in 21 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:41,400 all of Scripture. But we're not finished with 22 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:47,000 Cyrus just yet because last week we looked at how the Lord 23 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:53,240 Almighty prophesied about Cyrus. And tonight we're going to look 24 00:01:53,240 --> 00:02:00,680 at Cyrus's own proclamation in the name of the Lord because he 25 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:07,440 is now going to make an edict. We learn in verse one that Cyrus 26 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,960 made a proclamation throughout the Kingdom and even put it in 27 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,960 writing. And clearly Ezra has preserved a 28 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,000 copy of that very letter for us to read. 29 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,480 And so we're going to complete this chapter tonight, but we're 30 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:27,120 going to begin by looking at Ezra 1, verses 2 through 4. 31 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:32,520 Pause and meditate as we always do, bit by bit, part by part. 32 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,240 Let's read it now together, shall we? 33 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:39,920 Ezra on beginning in verse 2. Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, 34 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,400 the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the 35 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,840 earth, and he has charged me to build them a house at Jerusalem, 36 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,240 which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his 37 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,520 people, may his God be with him. And let him go up to Jerusalem, 38 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,680 which is in Judah, and rebuild the House of the Lord, the God 39 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,120 of Israel. He is the God who is in 40 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,920 Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in 41 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:09,120 whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his 42 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,360 place, with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, 43 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:17,360 besides free will offerings for the House of God that is in 44 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,280 Jerusalem. Father, we ask with the 45 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:26,200 sincerity and the purity of our hearts, that we would know your 46 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,720 power in the study. Hey, You would gently and 47 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:36,440 clearly guide us through every detail, every verse, every cross 48 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:41,240 reference in a way that is rememberable, in a way that is 49 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:46,000 easily understood, in a way that more importantly will be obeyed. 50 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,800 So Lord, we come to you now in faith, trusting that you will be 51 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,800 here with us as you have been in every study. 52 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,320 In Jesus name we pray, Amen. You know, there's an ongoing 53 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:02,000 debate about Cyrus and the debate surrounds whether or not 54 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:09,440 he was an actual believer after he learned that he was explained 55 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,480 before his existence. And I don't want to spend time 56 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,959 engaging in that debate. Instead, what I want to do is 57 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:22,560 see here how this man offers meaningful lessons for the 58 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:27,240 believer in verse 2 alone of his proclamation. 59 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:32,320 I believe there are at least two things that we can learn about 60 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,760 obedience, obedience to the Lord. 61 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,600 And if you're a note taker, get your instrument of writing out 62 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:43,640 immediately because here's what we understand from Cyrus in this 63 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,080 letter right away. The first thing that stands out 64 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:53,280 to me is that Cyrus shows us that right revelation of who God 65 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:59,160 is is essential to cultivating the right response to His will. 66 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,160 How does he begin this edict? Look again at verse 2. 67 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:10,640 The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the 68 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,600 earth. Where did you learn that from 69 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,480 Isaiah's prophecy? But it's clear that he didn't 70 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:23,000 just understand the message, it made an impression on him. 71 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,320 This is more than just a simple acknowledgement of the unmatched 72 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:33,960 authority and ability of God. This is Cyrus realizing that 73 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:38,880 this sovereign being knew him personally. 74 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:47,960 Remember, Isaiah 45 gives us Cyrus's name so long before he 75 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:53,480 enters into the scene. Isaiah 45 tells us what Cyrus 76 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:58,400 would accomplish. And so Cyrus, in understanding 77 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:04,440 this, realizes that this Almighty God knows me, He 78 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:10,400 selected me, and He is the source for all my success. 79 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,280 This is a man who understood that this God is worthy of my 80 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:19,360 surrender. And that is a revelation that 81 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,320 stirred Cyrus to prioritize the rebuilding of the House of God 82 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,800 in Jerusalem and the liberation of the Jewish people. 83 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,760 And in the same way, I want to make this argument that you and 84 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:37,680 I believe in what God says and reveals about himself is 85 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:41,760 absolutely essential to formulating the very foundation 86 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:46,480 of joyous and zealous obedience. Faith in what God has said. 87 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,960 I emphasize faith in what God has said. 88 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,160 Not just had knowledge. There are a lot of things that 89 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,400 Cyrus did not know about the Lord. 90 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:57,160 I mean, he's a Gentile, he's a Pagan. 91 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,320 But what he did know about God, he wholeheartedly believed, and 92 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:06,840 with childlike faith that enabled him to make this bold 93 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:10,400 step, this incredible decision on behalf of the people that he 94 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,040 had no relation to. What was it? 95 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:17,360 The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the 96 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:19,520 earth. That was the light that he had 97 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,040 received. He responded to it with faith, 98 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,000 and it led to this quality of obedience. 99 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:33,560 Shallow awareness and weak faith and who God is will always 100 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,440 result in shallow and weak obedience. 101 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,440 Always. And again, it's not just the 102 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,560 accumulation of knowledge, it's what you do with that knowledge. 103 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:45,280 It's you understanding. Like Cyrus. 104 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:50,960 This personally applies to me. I believe that, and this is what 105 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:52,040 it demands of me. Then. 106 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,320 Now, we don't know exactly when Cyrus learned about his role in 107 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,600 God's restorative plan, but I want to tell you that the 108 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,440 quality of his obedience is refreshing. 109 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,080 Refreshing not just because, again, he's a Gentile who's 110 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:12,240 obeying the God of Israel, but because when he learned his role 111 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,160 in God's plan, he prioritized it. 112 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,040 Do you know how I know he prioritized it? 113 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,400 Go back to verse one. When did he decide to do this? 114 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:26,920 In the first year. In the first year of Cyrus, king 115 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,920 of Persia. In other words, the moment he 116 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,799 was promoted and he, he had the power and the authority to 117 00:08:33,799 --> 00:08:37,960 execute such a thing, He did it, He did it. 118 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:44,800 Can you imagine, Cyrus, a Gentile exemplifies and models 119 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:49,200 to us that there should be no delay in our obedience, no 120 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,520 hesitation. There should be an urgency 121 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:53,400 actually, the moment you learn what God asks of you. 122 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:59,600 Now the question is, how do we arrive to such a wonderful kind 123 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,080 of compliance to the will of God? 124 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,960 While I go back to the main point, knowing what God had said 125 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,960 and really believing that it applies to you, having faith 126 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,120 that this is personal, this is for you. 127 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,160 God is calling you out. Not just the church at large, 128 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,400 not just people, not just numbers you by name. 129 00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:22,920 There's a second thing, however, that we learn about Cyrus's 130 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:29,520 obedience, and it is this. He obeyed God for God. 131 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:35,280 He obeyed God for God. So in the previous point, we can 132 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:39,760 say that we learned how Cyrus was able to obey. 133 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:45,440 He was exposed to the truth. His faith connected with it and 134 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,920 it launched him into this place of righteousness. 135 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,760 How he obeyed is clear. Now we learned why. 136 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,000 Why did he do this? Well, it's, it's plain in verse 137 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:00,200 2, the Lord has charged me, God told me to do it. 138 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:06,000 And no further explanation, no hint of any other agenda, just 139 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,720 simple God told me to do it and I'm going to obey him. 140 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,200 And that realization is further confirmed when we rediscover 141 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:17,800 Cyrus's original call by the writings of Isaiah. 142 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,120 So let me ask this question and you can answer it if you know 143 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,240 it. What chapter in Isaiah gives us 144 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,800 the greatest detail about Cyrus? Anybody know? 145 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,400 Anybody remember Isaiah? What good. 146 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,920 You might be quizzed on that at the end of Ezra, Isaiah 45. 147 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,960 And I want to now bring to you a verse from that chapter that we 148 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,600 did not look at in Isaiah 45 because what we read last week 149 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,600 was only a fraction. There is more about Cyrus, so 150 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:45,440 let's turn there to Isaiah 45. And I'm going to ask you to 151 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,720 Scroll down to verse 13. Notice what I said here about 152 00:10:49,720 --> 00:11:01,880 this man. It says here I have stirred him 153 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:07,280 up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level. 154 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:12,560 He shall build my city and set my exiles free. 155 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:18,360 Not for price or reward, says the Lord of hosts highlight that 156 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,720 last part. Not for price or reward. 157 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,560 In essence, what God is saying when He prophesied about Cyrus 158 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:32,000 was that he would carry out this work entirely free from any 159 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:37,360 self-interest or personal gain. And I want to encourage us today 160 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:41,120 by using this point about Cyrus to identify the spirits work in 161 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:44,840 our lives. One of the signs that the Holy 162 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,440 Spirit is truly moving in our hearts and leading us into His 163 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:52,160 will is that we are motivated to serve Him without selfish 164 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,800 ambition. And if you can honestly sit here 165 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,920 and say that you are drawn towards a ministry, or that you 166 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,360 want to grow. Or you may be even asking the 167 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:08,440 Lord for a gift, purely because you want to bless the Lord. 168 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:11,880 Simply because you want to bring pleasure to Him. 169 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,840 Solely because you want His name to be exalted, even if that 170 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,240 means you disappear in the process, then that is a 171 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:24,520 wonderful indication that it is God Himself who is stirring your 172 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,480 spirit. Look at that language again in 173 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,680 verse 13. I have stirred him up in 174 00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,760 righteousness. And then in Ezra one, we learned 175 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:36,120 that it was the Lord who stirred up the Spirit of Cyrus. 176 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,120 And so one of the ways you know that God is doing a work in you 177 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,440 is that not just your obedience is obvious, but the motive of 178 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:46,120 your obedience is clear. You can say with a clear 179 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,880 conscience that I'm not doing this to satisfy something of 180 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,800 myself. I'm doing this because I truly 181 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,480 want to bless God. Now, let me stay on this point a 182 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:01,080 little longer. This is so crucial, this purity 183 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,680 of heart. Not only should we ask for it, 184 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:08,600 but we need to protect it because that posture is 185 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:12,720 absolutely necessary for further and greater opportunities and 186 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,840 service to God. Let me give you a New Testament 187 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,800 example. Have you ever wondered why 188 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:22,880 Timothy was so special and useful to Paul? 189 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:28,040 I believe I have a verse to prove why that was the case, and 190 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:29,360 I'm not going to give it to you right away. 191 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:31,720 You have to look at it for yourself in Philippians 2. 192 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,080 Look at Philippians 2 for a moment and notice what Paul says 193 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:39,800 about Timothy as he's preparing him to go to the Philippians. 194 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:42,280 He says something about Timothy himself. 195 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:50,880 Philippians 219 down to verse 21, Paul says, I hope in the 196 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:55,680 Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be 197 00:13:55,680 --> 00:14:00,960 cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him who 198 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,080 will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 199 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:09,400 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus 200 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:15,440 Christ. So why did Paul recruit and use 201 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,960 Timothy, at least in this context was because Paul had 202 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:23,720 many conversations with Timothy. Paul observed Timothy, Paul 203 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:28,400 watched him, and over time he was able to say this young man 204 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,800 is special for one simple reason. 205 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:33,520 He wants to do everything for Christ. 206 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:36,960 The thing that brings him the greatest desire and pleasure and 207 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:42,360 and satisfaction is Christ. Whatever he does or doesn't do, 208 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,720 he keeps Christ in mind. And I want to let you know 209 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,400 there's a lot of young people here at our study, and I'd love 210 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,720 to see that you have so much life ahead of you should the 211 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,320 Lord preserve you. But if you want more doors to 212 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:57,760 open for you, then understand that what he's looking for is 213 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,280 exactly what he found in Timothy. 214 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,360 I scan your heart and I find something there that your heart 215 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:09,240 beats for my Son Jesus, that your heart longs to truly bring 216 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,600 a smile to Him. That that anything that you 217 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,960 endeavour to do, you prioritize His glory. 218 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,720 That's who God looks for when He's ready to use somebody. 219 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:25,400 Keep that in mind to continually fight off those tempting 220 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,200 thoughts, those things that want to take root in your soul, that 221 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,040 you want to do this for notoriety. 222 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,320 You want to do this so that you can feel more wanted or loved or 223 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:38,000 appreciate it. Delete all of that by the power 224 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,280 of the Holy Spirit and ask God for the same testimony that 225 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,520 Timothy had. I want my interest to be wrapped 226 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:46,920 up with Christ and in Christ alone. 227 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:52,320 Cyrus would obey God without a price tag, without any 228 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:57,760 particular reward for his own benefit, simply because God for 229 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:00,760 God alone. Let's come back to Ezra now. 230 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,840 We looked at verse 2. Let's finish this edict. 231 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:10,280 In verse 3, Cyrus makes an invitation. 232 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:11,880 This isn't a command, by the way. 233 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,080 He's making an open invitation to the Exiles to return to their 234 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,240 land. But he addresses 2 categories of 235 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:22,760 people among the Jews, and this is something significant for us 236 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,000 to consider. Have you noticed what is 237 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,240 emphasized in this edict? What's really the goal of it? 238 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,680 What's he really getting at? It's the rebuilding of God's 239 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:39,280 house, the House of the Lord. The House of God appears in each 240 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,320 verse of this edict. Verse 2, verse 3, and verse 4 241 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,000 shows up every single time. It does not mention the Jews 242 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,640 returning to their homes. It doesn't say anything about 243 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:52,760 them being restored to their businesses or coming back to 244 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,000 their cities or their tribal allotments. 245 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,400 None of that. The thing that is prioritized, 246 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,520 the dominating goal of this whole thing is to restore the 247 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:06,560 House of worship. And that shouldn't surprise us. 248 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:08,760 It makes total sense, actually. Why? 249 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:14,359 Because the very reason why the Jews are in exile is because of 250 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:18,160 their hypocritical devotion. It's because of their idolatrous 251 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:20,720 ways, their neglect of true worship. 252 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:26,520 So it's fitting then that the Jews first priority in returning 253 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:31,560 to their homeland is to then rebuild the dwelling place of 254 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:37,640 God, to mend that again, to restore their worship. 255 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,040 And we're going to get into the two categories of people in a 256 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:42,200 moment here that he's addressing. 257 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:44,880 But I want us to remember what we talked about in the 258 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:50,800 concluding thoughts of our last study, that this point again is 259 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:56,040 surfacing, that true restoration for the brokenness in the loss 260 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:00,320 in our lives can only be realized in reconciliation with 261 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:04,040 the Lord. This letter essentially says 262 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:08,280 look, before you reclaim anything, before you recover 263 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:13,200 anything, what needs to be re established is the place where I 264 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,680 called for you and I to meet the House of God. 265 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,560 We need to rebuild that before anything else can be touched or 266 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,800 addressed. And in the same way, whatever 267 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:28,240 may seem to be falling apart in our in our own lives cannot be 268 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:33,080 truly mended, cannot be truly healed until you and I are truly 269 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:37,320 restored to the Lord. That has to be priority #1 so 270 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:40,480 many things can be solved in our marriages, in our relationship, 271 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:44,320 in our ministries and society if we establish the vertical 272 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:48,480 element of our relationship before we try to address 273 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,440 anything horizontally. And that's what we see here. 274 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:53,880 That's the principle. Go back and rebuild your 275 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,280 relationship with God before anything else. 276 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,360 Don't even think about anything else, and everything else will 277 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:04,400 fall into place. But this also teaches us that 278 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:10,000 God's agenda, listen, God's work, God's house is our first 279 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,720 priority. Seek first the Kingdom of God 280 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:16,680 and His righteousness. Seek first. 281 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,880 Look, I've met many Christians over the years, and I've met 282 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,040 many Christians who identify with the Kingdom of God. 283 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:29,880 But sadly, some cannot say with confidence that it's first. 284 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:34,480 And from time to time, as we coast through life, we have to 285 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:36,080 pause and ask ourselves this question. 286 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:42,720 Does my life revolve around the Kingdom of God, or is it in a 287 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,960 compartment competing with other things? 288 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,160 Because for many people who pay lip service to the Kingdom of 289 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:54,920 God, I find that they compromise that priority. 290 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,960 Other ambitions and goals and and desires and endeavors get in 291 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,440 the way of what should be first. And so even in here in the Old 292 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,640 Testament, we see and it's very interesting and unique time of 293 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,240 history that God is establishing that principle. 294 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:14,760 Go back to your homeland, yes, but first seek my house before 295 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:16,400 you rebuild your own. That's actually the message of 296 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:19,920 the prophet Haggai. You find it over and over again 297 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,280 in different periods of redemptive history, and it's no 298 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:27,480 different in the new Covenant. Seek first. 1st So all my big 299 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,360 plans and desires, where's God in that? 300 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,480 Or is it your comfort where you want to build a family, where 301 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,320 you want to make money, where's the Lord? 302 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,680 This is what we see here. He must be first. 303 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,600 And we see here that there are at least two ways we can know 304 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,960 that we prioritize His will. With the two categories of 305 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:54,200 people that Cyrus addresses, You and I can prioritize God's will 306 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,760 in going or in giving, go or give. 307 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:04,560 Look again at verse three, who he addresses, whoever is among 308 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:11,840 you of all his people, may his God be with him and let him go 309 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,320 up to Jerusalem. That's the first invitation, but 310 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,480 notice the 2nd and verse 4 and let each survivor, in whatever 311 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:27,360 place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with 312 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:32,800 silver and gold. Cyrus understood that not every 313 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,680 single Jew would want to go back to the land, and we'll talk 314 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:39,280 about that in a moment. For whatever reason may be 315 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:44,440 difficulty may be unable to. And so he addresses that crowd. 316 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,840 But notice what he does. He does not excuse them from 317 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:53,280 participating in this exciting work, even though part of this 318 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,480 demographic would choose to say there was no excuse for 319 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:03,480 inactivity. And in the same way, if we as 320 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:09,280 God's people cannot help in His work directly, we must be 321 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,440 prepared to do so from a distance. 322 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,800 And that includes giving of our silver and gold. 323 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,280 That includes interceding, though we may not be on the 324 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:26,280 grounds that includes encouragement for those who are 325 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,120 risking their time, their lives, their safety. 326 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,720 There's a way of serving God directly and at a distance, and 327 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,520 we see that exemplified here. And so those who are serving 328 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,720 God, which should be all of us, have to be able to say with 329 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,080 confidence that I am either directly involved or I am doing 330 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:51,400 so at a distance or mingling of both, a mixture of the two. 331 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:56,040 But what is certain is that there is nothing in any part of 332 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,320 Scripture that gives us permission to sit on our own 333 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,680 hands. Cyrus, this man, what an 334 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,960 incredible leader. He's so obviously led by the 335 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,080 Spirit of God. And ultimately, each of us 336 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,600 should be able to say that I play a part or I play many 337 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:16,960 parts. And this decree is a reminder 338 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,040 for that. So what part do you play? 339 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,240 Do you pray? I, I genuinely pray like, and I 340 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:27,240 just pray I, I go to war like I have a list of names of people I 341 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:29,720 know in my church and I pray, OK, you're serving at a 342 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:30,640 distance. That's awesome. 343 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:33,880 What do you do? What, what, what, what do you do 344 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,280 in your hands to actually contribute to God's Kingdom? 345 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,200 Expanding and growing and strengthening? 346 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:43,720 Though the limitations here are clear, though the statuses of 347 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,480 different Jews is obvious, though the decisions on a 348 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,280 practical level may differ, one thing all these Jews share in 349 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:54,000 common, according to Cyrus, is that they have to sign up for 350 00:23:54,000 --> 00:24:00,400 something, for something. And not everybody can go and not 351 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,920 everybody can give at the same capacity as others, but 352 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:06,800 everybody's got to do something. That's the spirit speaking here 353 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:11,280 through Cyrus. And amazingly, Cyrus leads by 354 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,600 example. Do you know how I know that? 355 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:19,880 Peak a little bit at verse 7. Notice what Cyrus does. 356 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,720 Ezra 17. Cyrus the king also brought out 357 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,760 the vessels of the House of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had 358 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:31,160 carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the House of his gods. 359 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,280 So more than Cyrus just making a proclamation, giving permission 360 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,840 for the Jews to return, he reaches into his own treasury, 361 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:44,720 he unlocks the door and he gives of the treasures that Babylon 362 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:49,600 took from Jerusalem. He didn't have to do that, but 363 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,640 he understood that he could do more than just give this edict 364 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:58,240 that he can equip and that he can return and he can give back 365 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:00,640 what really wasn't his to begin with. 366 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,520 And I, I'm even more blessed by this man, Cyrus. 367 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:07,840 You know why? Because it's one thing to 368 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,880 applaud a man who speaks the truth and aligns himself to 369 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,920 God's word. It's more powerful when that 370 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:18,920 person actually lives it and leads by example. 371 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,960 Cyrus is a, a model for leaders. It's one thing to stand up and 372 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:27,240 say, all right, go back and do something for God's house and 373 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,520 give. It's another thing to say it and 374 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:31,080 then to say, here's how I'm doing it. 375 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,920 And if there's any aspiring leaders here, look at Cyrus. 376 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:39,960 Shockingly, A Gentile, yes, but still an example. 377 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,400 Preach the truth, speak the truth, but live it. 378 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,080 Back it up. You're going to get more 379 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,120 authority that way. You're going to inspire more 380 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:50,920 people that way. That's what I find in this man. 381 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,320 We're going to come to these verses in a moment. 382 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,520 These groups are going to respond positively to Cyrus's 383 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:04,840 message, and there's a comment in the following verses that 384 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,360 demands our meditation. Look, let's look at verse 5. 385 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:14,160 Now then rose up the heads of the Father's houses of Judah, 386 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,920 and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose 387 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,920 spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the House of the Lord 388 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,680 that is in Jerusalem. And all who are about them aid 389 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:30,120 them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with 390 00:26:30,120 --> 00:26:34,440 beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely 391 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,520 offered. That seems pretty direct, but I 392 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,480 have to admit that there is something in these verses that 393 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,680 caused me to muse over it over and over again. 394 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:50,320 Here it is. Why do I need to know that the 395 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:54,720 Spirit of God stirred the spirit of some of these Jews in order 396 00:26:54,720 --> 00:27:01,200 for them to return home? You would think that every Jew 397 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,480 would jump on the opportunity the moment they received this 398 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,360 letter in the mail. You would think that there 399 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:11,720 wouldn't be a single exile who wouldn't eagerly want to uproot 400 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,720 themselves and make their way back to what God had originally 401 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:19,880 promised them. Why is it then we see here that 402 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:24,720 the Spirit of God enabled a group of them to go back? 403 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,880 And then it hit me. The experience of these exiles 404 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:35,600 in Babylon does not compare with the experience of their 405 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,960 ancestors when they were in Egypt. 406 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:43,880 Let me remind you of that truth. Jeremiah gave instructions to 407 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,040 these exiles as they would be here for 70 years. 408 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,320 Look at his book again here in chapter 29 verse four. 409 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,160 Look what Jeremiah said directly to these exiles. 410 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:57,160 He didn't just preach to the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah. 411 00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:01,280 He actually sent forth this following message and it sheds 412 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:03,440 light into why this is happening here in Ezra 1. 413 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:16,060 Jeremiah 29 verse 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of 414 00:28:16,060 --> 00:28:20,440 Israel, to all the Exiles whom I sent, who I'm I've sent into 415 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,920 exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and live in them, 416 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,680 Plant gardens and eat their produce. 417 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:31,280 Take wives and have sons and daughters. 418 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:35,600 Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters and marriage 419 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,960 that they may bear. Sons and daughters multiply 420 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:43,800 there and do not decrease. Interestingly, this is found in 421 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:47,040 the same chapter that says that they would be in exile for 70 422 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,160 years. So the Lord didn't want these 423 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:55,640 exiles to just remain with their luggage is still intact and 424 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:59,400 their bags still packed. He wanted them to settle. 425 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:01,080 You're going to be there for a while. 426 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:07,040 So build homes, have families, start businesses, cultivate 427 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,240 land. So you have to understand that 428 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:14,120 at this point in Ezra, many of these Jews are well established. 429 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:17,040 Many of them have built relationship with their 430 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,800 neighbors. Many of them had children. 431 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:22,040 Some of these Jews were born in Babylon. 432 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,560 That's all they'd ever known. Anything about Jerusalem or 433 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,840 Judah or the history of the people of Israel was just told 434 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:31,640 to them. And now all of a sudden you have 435 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,840 these Jews who are being told, yeah, you have your homes, you 436 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,960 have your your businesses, you have your education, you have 437 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:40,280 your relationships there in Babylon. 438 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,720 But it's time to go home to your real home. 439 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:45,240 Imagine how challenging that would be. 440 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:50,880 And think further. What's really waiting for them 441 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:55,920 in Judah? Their old homes, their old 442 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,920 temple. Everything is in ruins. 443 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,360 Everything is destroyed, everything is in rubble. 444 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:03,560 It's it's almost like a war-torn place. 445 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,880 It is a war-torn place. And beyond that you have lurking 446 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:10,760 enemies surrounding the region. We're going to find that out in 447 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:14,720 the coming chapters of Ezra. This is threatening. 448 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:17,880 This is dangerous. Take it a step further. 449 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:23,320 What about the journey back months to return by foot? 450 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:28,360 How taxing would that be for the families, namely the wives and 451 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,160 the children, the elderly, and then you have wild animals and 452 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:36,800 robbers to be fearful of. So humanly speaking, there is 453 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,040 nothing appealing about this invitation. 454 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:42,640 This was something very demanding. 455 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,560 This is something that demanded discussion and planning. 456 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:47,440 This isn't just something that, oh, we get to go back. 457 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,160 No, no, no. And so you can just imagine 458 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:52,920 these Jews discussing among themselves. 459 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,640 Is it really worth it? Is it worth just abandoning 460 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,840 everything that we've built over these years, these decades, the 461 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,600 comfort that we have here? We're not slaves necessarily, 462 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,640 and we have Cyrus now. He seems very favorable towards 463 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:10,360 us. Is it worth it for something so 464 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:11,800 dangerous, something so difficult? 465 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,520 There's so many thoughts that we can uncover from this one 466 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,720 thought, but I want to leave you with this main point. 467 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:26,440 This shows us that only through the help of the Spirit of God 468 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:31,200 can any of us really detach from the affairs of this world. 469 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:38,560 You and I can't do it in our own strength to be willing to walk 470 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:46,600 away from possessions, prosperity, people that we work 471 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,280 so hard for, that we deeply enjoy. 472 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:53,360 For what to to build the Kingdom of God with so many risks 473 00:31:53,360 --> 00:32:00,560 involved even today? Surely such a transformative 474 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,840 thing in our desires and our ambitions requires the help of 475 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:07,680 the Holy Spirit. And that is why you and I 476 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:12,280 continually have to rely on Him and seek Him to be able to do 477 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:15,520 that. With everyday new temptations, 478 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:20,320 things pulling at us with every season of life, every chapter in 479 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:27,080 life that would try to keep you earthbound, you and I can't do 480 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:30,840 it without God's help. He must stir us. 481 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:33,440 He must fortify us. He must energize us. 482 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:37,920 He must blind us to the things that try to take our gaze away 483 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:43,480 from what truly matters. Now, it would be a mistake to 484 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,360 look at a verse like this and place all that responsibility on 485 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,680 God. Like, OK, I'm just going to be 486 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:50,640 the way I am unless God moves me. 487 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,720 It doesn't work that way. In fact, the Scripture presents 488 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:58,000 a paradox, and you find it throughout Paul's writing. 489 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:03,000 By the way, Paul's epistles show us this, this strange tension 490 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:07,760 between it's me, but it's also God. 491 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,080 I'm doing it, but it's really God doing it. 492 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:14,840 I'm conscience of it, but God gets all the glory. 493 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,320 So one verse that comes to mind is what I quoted during the 494 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,200 announcements last Sunday in Colossians 129. 495 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:28,280 For this, I, I, I, I, Paul, I toil, struggling with all his 496 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:32,880 energy that he powerfully works within me. 497 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:39,520 I'm toiling, but it's with his energy I'm serving to the bone. 498 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:45,040 I'm serving but with his power. And you find that over and over 499 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:46,240 again. Let me give you another one, but 500 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:47,320 I'm going to ask you to turn there. 501 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:51,880 It's in First Corinthians 15. Look at verse 10, First 502 00:33:51,880 --> 00:34:00,880 Corinthians 15, verse 10. Paul in giving his testimony of 503 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:04,600 his apostleship. He does it in other places, but 504 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:06,960 this one helps us understand this wonderful truth. 505 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:13,040 First Corinthians 15, verse 10. But by the grace of God, I am 506 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:14,920 what I am. Don't you love that? 507 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,760 And his grace toward me was not in vain. 508 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:24,440 I love that too. What God had deposited in my 509 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:29,280 life, I didn't waste it. His grace towards me was not in 510 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:31,400 vain. I responded to that grace. 511 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,040 I walked in that grace. I owned that grace. 512 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:37,239 It was not in vain. Then He goes on. 513 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:42,480 On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them. 514 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:44,880 Who's he speaking about? The other apostles. 515 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:48,840 I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but 516 00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:50,960 the grace of God that is with me. 517 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:55,000 See how He goes back and forth? It's me, but it's God. 518 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:59,800 It's God, but it's also me. And what Paul's not doing here 519 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:01,560 is putting himself on the same level as God. 520 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,640 He's just trying his best to explain how this whole thing 521 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:10,320 works, that God's work in our lives participates with our 522 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,240 surrender. It's a response to our 523 00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:16,680 willingness. So if you were to approach Paul 524 00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:21,720 and say Paul, do do you really serve the Lord with all your 525 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:25,440 heart? Yes, and he he even goes beyond 526 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:28,400 that and says I actually work harder than the other ones. 527 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:32,000 Say hey, Paul, that's a little bit presumptuous of you. 528 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,040 No, he's not. He's being factual. 529 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:36,960 Yeah, if you look at my resume, if you look at my scheduling, if 530 00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:39,640 you look at my travel log, if you look at what I actually do 531 00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:42,040 comparatively, I work harder than the other ones. 532 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:46,320 Not being arrogant here, but at the same time, in the same 533 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:48,680 breath, he can say, and that's all God's grace. 534 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:52,720 That's all the grace of God. So there isn't like, there isn't 535 00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:55,240 like a fake piety or false humility here with Paul. 536 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,800 But beneath all that he did do, he understood that there was 537 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:03,040 this current at work. It was God who woke him up. 538 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:05,920 It was God who strengthened him. It was God who gave him the rest 539 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:07,880 he needed. It was God to open the doors and 540 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:09,440 made him useful with those opportunities. 541 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,960 It was God all the way through. But Paul had to make a choice 542 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,440 every day. And it's no different for you 543 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:18,280 and I. You're not a puppet in God's 544 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,240 hand. You're not just strings that He 545 00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:22,880 pulls on without your involvement. 546 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:28,640 You're a lifeless glove that has a choice to be worn by the hand 547 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,440 of God, and he's the one who animates you. 548 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:34,600 That's what we find here, even with these Jews. 549 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:38,320 God's Spirit, yes, did stir them, but they responded to 550 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,720 that, surely. And here's what we find in the 551 00:36:41,720 --> 00:36:49,120 remaining verses of our chapter. Let's come back to Ezra 1 in 552 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:53,840 verse 7. Cyrus the king also brought out 553 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:57,520 the vessels of the House of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had 554 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,760 carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the House of his gods. 555 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:05,640 Cyrus, king of Persia, brought these out in the charge of 556 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:10,800 Mithra Death, the treasurer, who counted them out to Shesh 557 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:14,760 Bazaar, the Prince of Judah. And this was the number of them, 558 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:21,720 30 basins of gold, 1000 basins of silver, 29 sensors, 30 bowls 559 00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:27,280 of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1000 other vessels. 560 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,960 All the vessels of gold and of silver were 5400. 561 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:36,080 All these Did Shesh Bazaar bring up when the Exiles were brought 562 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:39,600 out or brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem? 563 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:45,680 I'm not sure if you picked up on it, but there is a very strong 564 00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:49,760 motif of the Exodus reflected in the closing of this chapter. 565 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:55,320 There are a lot of differences between the Egyptian Exodus and 566 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:59,440 the return of the Jews from Babylon to the homeland, but 567 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,160 there is a very strong similarity here, and it is this. 568 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:08,440 In both cases, the people of God went to the promised land with 569 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:13,200 something in their hands. They did not go empty handed. 570 00:38:15,720 --> 00:38:19,600 And so we know back in Exodus that God had given the people 571 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:22,720 this instruction. Go and demand the silver and 572 00:38:22,720 --> 00:38:24,320 gold from your Egyptian neighbors. 573 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,840 And in Exodus it also tells us that He gave favor to the Jews 574 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:33,400 by moving the Egyptians to respond positively to that. 575 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,120 Yes, here you go. Here's all our jewelry. 576 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,840 In fact, it says that the Jews plundered the Egyptians. 577 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:43,200 And what we find here, look back at verse 11, the mention of 578 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:47,160 silver and gold yet again, and the purpose is no different. 579 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:52,040 Why did God want the Egyptians to give up their silver and 580 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:54,560 their gold? I can tell you this for certain. 581 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:57,800 It wasn't so that the Jews can look nice in the wilderness. 582 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:03,360 It was to build the temple. It was to construct the 583 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:05,280 Tabernacle. Where else did they get the 584 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:11,280 materials for the articles? Where else would they be able to 585 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,320 actually produce what was demanded of them in the 586 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:16,040 construction of that House of worship? 587 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:18,840 So what God had in mind all along was, yes, you're going to 588 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:24,880 get that from the Egyptians for the goal of building me a house. 589 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:28,520 And here you find what silver and gold brought up again. 590 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:33,320 Is the purpose any different? No, for the priority of 591 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:37,320 rebuilding my dwelling place. And you even find this in 592 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:38,800 Nehemiah. We're going to come to that for 593 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:40,800 a few months from now. We're Nehemiah. 594 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:44,200 In the opening of his book, he seeks favour from the king 595 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:47,800 Artaxerxes, and he asks him for a letter to go to the manager of 596 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:49,200 the King's forest. For what? 597 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:53,400 Give me permission to to require and to acquire timber so I can 598 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,360 build these walls and these gates. 599 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,360 I want to contribute to the things of God as well. 600 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:04,080 And he, he, he's granted it. So what do we make of all of 601 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:07,280 this? Well, many things. 602 00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:10,240 And here's one thing that will encourage us. 603 00:40:11,680 --> 00:40:14,000 Whatever God sets before us is a task. 604 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:18,880 Any ministry, any opportunity. He always provide the means to 605 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:21,840 accomplish it. Always. 606 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:25,360 He doesn't just determine the end of a matter. 607 00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:27,880 He also is in charge of the means. 608 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:34,400 And so every time in redemptive history we see God calling the 609 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:38,360 people to do something grand, seemingly impossible, like 610 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:42,320 building him a house, coming out of exile, coming out of slavery, 611 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:46,440 he always makes a way. And that rule, that promise is 612 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:48,560 no different for us as the Church of Jesus Christ who are 613 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:51,040 called to build his house, his spiritual house. 614 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:56,520 We have nothing to fear. He owns the cattle on 1000 Hill. 615 00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:00,920 If God is actually calling you to a specific ministry, and I've 616 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:05,320 met many people, I've sat across many tables, I've had many cups 617 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:07,840 of tea and coffee with people who are wondering, is God really 618 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,200 calling me to this? Is God called me to leave my 619 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:14,160 education, my job, my city to go and serve him in this capacity? 620 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:17,720 Well, here's one way you'll know he is, he's going to provide for 621 00:41:17,720 --> 00:41:19,120 you. He will. 622 00:41:19,240 --> 00:41:21,640 It may not be immediately, but he's going to make a way. 623 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:26,720 He won't hang you dry. And if God is not making a way 624 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:29,200 for you, if he's not providing means for for your own 625 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:32,440 well-being or for this work to be done, that's an indication 626 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:34,040 perhaps that you're not called to it. 627 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:37,880 And maybe for the moment, it could be for a later time or not 628 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:40,080 at all. That's what I find here. 629 00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,720 I'm sending you somewhere, I'm calling you to do something. 630 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:47,280 And here are the resources. Here's here's the partnership. 631 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:49,440 Here are the doors that are going to be opened. 632 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:52,680 So be comforted by that truth. Or if you're going to really 633 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:55,240 make this happen for me, if you want me to, for example, leave 634 00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:58,960 my job and become a full time minister, I'll leave the 635 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:01,400 workplace and do that. But I also have a wife, I have 636 00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:02,560 kids. Are you going to provide for me? 637 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:04,840 And He will, if you're called to it, He will. 638 00:42:05,720 --> 00:42:08,320 I don't want to limit God's ways to that, but that is a major 639 00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:10,200 principle. We find it here throughout the 640 00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:11,960 Scriptures. But there's even more to learn 641 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:14,400 about these articles mentioned at the end of this chapter. 642 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:16,960 It's also found in Jeremiah's writing. 643 00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:18,200 This is where we're going to end. 644 00:42:18,640 --> 00:42:24,160 Go to Jeremiah 27. This is another prophecy that 645 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:28,720 Jeremiah made, and it goes to show again just how surgically 646 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:36,000 precise God's prophetic word is. Jeremiah 27. 647 00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:39,560 Look at verse 21. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the 648 00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,960 God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the 649 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:46,560 House of the Lord, in the House of the king of Judah, and in 650 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:50,640 Jerusalem, they shall be carried to Babylon and remain there 651 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:54,360 until the day when I visit them, declares the Lord. 652 00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:59,760 Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place. 653 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,920 So God did not just prophecy the return of His people, He 654 00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:13,160 prophesied the return of pots and vessels and seemingly 655 00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:17,760 insignificant items. But they're not insignificant to 656 00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:20,600 Him. They're actually numbered, as 657 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:23,400 you saw in Ezra one. Why? 658 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:26,320 Because they all are associated with His House of worship. 659 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,040 They all contribute to His glory. 660 00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:31,600 And I want to tell you something, believer, and 661 00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,880 hopefully this helps you read your Bible in a more meaningful 662 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:38,680 and practical way. We have the lens of the new 663 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:40,960 covenant. So when I read something like 664 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:46,120 this, I, yes, praise God for the historically accurate elements 665 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:48,200 of His Word, but I also see something else in terms of 666 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:50,520 principle. I am the temple of God. 667 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:54,440 You are the temple of God. That's true for us corporately 668 00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:58,720 and individually. And God back in Jeremiah's word 669 00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:01,440 says not only am I going to bring back my people, but I'm 670 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:04,440 going to bring back the very items that constitute my 671 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:07,920 dwelling place. I'm not going to leave one thing 672 00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:10,680 behind. Do you understand how miraculous 673 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:12,880 this is? You understand that back in 674 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:18,000 Daniel 5, Nebuchadnezzar's descendants, the one who 675 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,080 succeeded him, took these very vessels and blasphemy God 676 00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:24,440 through it by partying with these cups and these plates. 677 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,880 They could have easily been destroyed. 678 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:31,080 They could have easily been lost, but God sovereignly 679 00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:33,920 preserved them throughout these years. 680 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:39,880 He cares for every detail of his house. 681 00:44:41,240 --> 00:44:45,120 You're his house. I'm his dwelling place. 682 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:50,560 There's not one part of my life that He is not mindful of. 683 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:56,160 There's not one part of my life internally, externally, that He 684 00:44:56,160 --> 00:45:00,040 does not want to preserve for His glory, that he does not want 685 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:02,960 to restore, that He does not want to redeem. 686 00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,440 It may be insignificant to your neighbor, to your spouse, even 687 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:12,240 to your children, to other believers, but to God it 688 00:45:12,240 --> 00:45:14,840 matters. Imagine that he he actually 689 00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:16,960 numbered the bowls and the basins. 690 00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:27,080 Every hair on your head is cherished by God, and every part 691 00:45:27,080 --> 00:45:31,720 of your sanctification is something that God deeply cares 692 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:34,600 about. Believe that. 693 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:40,800 Believe that every thought, everywhere your eyes are 694 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:49,200 planted, every word you speak, every action you take, God wants 695 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:54,720 it, He demands it, He deserves it. 696 00:45:55,320 --> 00:46:10,200 Let's pray, Father, you never cease to amaze 697 00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:17,400 us how every piece of your word can speak to us. 698 00:46:20,160 --> 00:46:28,360 You never cease to blow us away with how the oracles of God 699 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:33,680 throughout history. Every part of this library 700 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:39,520 speaks so loud and clear and we asked Lord, with the many truths 701 00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:41,440 that were discovered together tonight, we would not be 702 00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:45,160 forgetful of them. We would be like Cyrus even and 703 00:46:45,160 --> 00:46:47,360 believe that they personally apply to each of us. 704 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:50,480 We would not be worried about the person to our left or to our 705 00:46:50,480 --> 00:46:52,960 right if they heard this or we think that they needed to hear 706 00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:56,560 it. We think about ourselves and we 707 00:46:56,560 --> 00:47:01,560 ask God that you would make us like this man that we don't know 708 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:03,680 his complete relationship with you. 709 00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:06,680 We know that in this moment he exemplifies what obedience looks 710 00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:09,080 like. And we think even if Timothy, 711 00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:13,320 who had every part of him, every interest consecrated to the will 712 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:20,040 of Christ, a wash over us again tonight, to that same end, take 713 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:25,120 every article, every part of who we are like these things in the 714 00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:30,160 temple that you rescued. Rescue it from us, save us. 715 00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:34,160 Leave not one thing behind. Bring it all to you. 716 00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:36,600 Lord. Highlight the things that we are 717 00:47:36,600 --> 00:47:38,800 keeping back. Highlight the things that are 718 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:41,080 still in Babylon. Highlight the things that we're 719 00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:43,160 trying to hide. Highlight the things that are 720 00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:45,400 still in the world. Lord, you're calling it all to 721 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:47,640 yourself and we've come here to give it to you. 722 00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:51,880 So Lord, receive this act of worship this evening. 723 00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:56,240 In Jesus name we pray, Amen. If you want to remain seated, 724 00:47:56,240 --> 00:47:59,120 you're free to do that as long as you're prayerful. 725 00:48:00,240 --> 00:48:02,160 I think one of the ways that we can make these studies more 726 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:04,240 impactful is if we respond to what we hear. 727 00:48:04,760 --> 00:48:07,120 So you can stay seated if you want to pray and spend a few 728 00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:09,120 minutes with the Lord. If you want to stand and sing, 729 00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:10,880 you can do that praise to him. You're welcome to come even as 730 00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:12,960 I'm speaking. But let's really respond to 731 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:16,280 these truths because they're they're meant to, to transform 732 00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:18,400 us and really bleed into our lives. 733 00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:20,360 Can we do that? Thank you.