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Let's turn in our Bibles now to 
the book of Ezra, chapter 4. 

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We have not been together in the
book of Ezra for a couple of 

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weeks now, so I think it will be
helpful to refresh our memories 

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of where we are in the study. 
The. 1st wave of exiles have 

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returned and established 
themselves back home. 

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They did not wait very long to 
re established the brazen altar,

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to offer right sacrifices and to
even lay the foundation of the 

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temple down. 
Now the site of this progress 

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got mixed reactions from the 
remnant. 

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The younger generation rejoiced 
those who lived long enough, 

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however. 
To see the grandeur in the 

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splendor of Solomon's temple. 
Interestingly, strangely, 

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perhaps wept, they could not 
help but compare the glory of 

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the former temple with the, in 
their perception, inferior 

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quality of this newer structure.
And so they were broken about 

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it. 
And what you? 

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Had at the end of Ezra chapter 3
is this mingling of sounds. 

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You had the shouts of praise 
from the younger and from the 

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seasoned Saints. 
You had sorrow and weeping. 

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But as we're about to discover 
in this new chapter, there is 

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also going to be reactions from 
a different group of people. 

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They have been relatively quiet 
since the Exiles have returned 

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to the Promised Land, but that's
about to change. 

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And what we are going to 
discover in this new chapter is 

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that the response of this 
particular group is not only 

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disturbing. 
It's actually quite dangerous. 

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And that really sets up the main
theme of this section of 

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Scripture, and we can really 
summarize it in one word, 

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opposition. 
Ezra chapter 4 is about 

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opposition. 
And I want to show you how 

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that's not something that's 
inferred or imposed. 

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That's actually what the author 
intends to convey. 

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And so if you're there in Ezra 
chapter 4, skip over to verse 7 

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for a moment. 
This is after Ezra describes how

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this first group of returnees 
experienced many obstacles in 

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their attempt to rebuild the 
temple. 

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Ezra in verse 7 is going to Fast
forward in time, and he is going

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to bring to our attention a 
letter written by the enemies of

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the Jews to a. 
King, who comes much later in 

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the story. 
Look at it with me very quickly 

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in verse 7. 
In the days of Artaxerxes, 

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Bishlam and Mithridath and Tabil
and the rest of their associates

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wrote to Artaxerxes, king of 
Persia. 

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The letter was written in 
Aramaic and translated. 

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Now Scroll down to verse 16 
because verse 16 really gives us

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the essence of this letter of 
accusation. 

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We make known to the king that 
if this city is rebuilt and its 

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walls finished, you will then 
have no possession in the 

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province beyond the river. 
This is strange. 

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Why? 
Because at this moment in Ezra's

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timeline, the Jews are nowhere 
near rebuilding the city or 

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resurrecting the walls. 
They just finished laying down 

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the foundation of the House of 
God. 

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So what is Ezra doing here by 
including this document that 

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comes way down the line with a 
different king who rises the 

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power far down in the chronology
of the story and inserts it 

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here? 
Well, here's what you have. 

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Ezra is not concerned by 
providing us his book with 

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strict chronology. 
Instead, he actually wants to 

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emphasize a theme, and the theme
is clear, the opposition that 

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these exiles face in their 
attempt, in their pursuit of 

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glorifying and obeying God. 
So what Ezra is doing is he's 

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reaching into the future because
he's writing this as a 

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historian. 
And now he compiles this text 

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together to show us that these 
exiles not only faced obstacles 

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when they return and rebuilt the
temple, but also as they 

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continued to restore all things.
So this opposition, it, it began

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under the reign of Cyrus, it 
continued during Darius, and it 

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extended even in the days of 
Azuris and Artaxerxes. 

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And you have to be mindful of 
that because not just in Ezra, 

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but in different parts of the 
Bible, there will be moments 

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when the author doesn't honor 
the chronology and instead wants

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to present a. 
Theme. 

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And so he will bring things in 
that at first glance may seem 

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contradictory or a mistake, when
in fact that's how many of these

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ancient authors put together 
their information. 

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And so with this in mind, this 
is how we can understand this 

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chapter. 
Opposition is what? 

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The people of God should always 
expect in their desire to stand 

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for what is right and to obey 
what God has revealed. 

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And this is something that we 
are going to look at. 

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This is going to be to our 
benefit because opposition is an

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ongoing reality even for the 
church. 

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And so as we come to this text, 
we are going to realize that 

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the. 
Evil 1 is determined to resist, 

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and he is determined to fight as
long as you are committed to 

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living for the advancement of 
God's purposes. 

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But his consistency in this 
regard is not the only. 

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Thing that's on display, we also
find in this chapter his 

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craftiness. 
Here's how we're going to 

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organize our thoughts. 
We're going to look at six 

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strategies, 6 devices, 6 schemes
that Satan often employs in 

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order to hinder and harass the 
efforts of God's people to build

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his house. 
Now this is going to be applied 

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on a corporate level, but it can
be also understood and 

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experienced on an individual 
basis. 

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So, so be mindful of that. 
And though Satan does not 

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explicitly mention in this text,
his fingerprints are all over 

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it. 
And we can find throughout the 

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Bible how he has a similar 
playbook to what we find here in

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this portrait. 
And so we're going to begin by 

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looking at the first scheme by 
reading Ezra chapter 4 one to 

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three. 
And we'll continue from there on

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and seek to accomplish reading 
and explaining this entire text.

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And when the adversaries of 
Judah and Benjamin heard that 

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the return exiles were building 
a temple to the Lord, the God of

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Israel, they approached 
Zerubbabel and the heads of 

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Father's houses and said to 
them, Let us build with you, for

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we worship your God as you do. 
And we have been sacrificing to 

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them ever since the days of 
Essar Haddon, king of Assyria, 

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who brought us here. 
But Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the 

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rest of the heads of Father's 
houses in Israel said to them, 

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You have nothing to do with us 
in building a house to our God, 

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but we alone will build to the 
Lord, the God of Israel, as King

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Cyrus, the king of Persia, has 
commanded us. 

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Can we pray together and ask for
the Lord's help? 

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Lord, the words of the apostle 
Paul come to mind where he said,

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But this one thing I do, 
forgetting what lies behind and 

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straining forth to what lies 
ahead, I press on toward the 

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goal of the upward call of God 
in Christ Jesus. 

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And Lord, we pray that you would
use this study to help each of 

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us press on, to help us continue
steadfastly in humility, in 

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dependency on you, with joy as 
we sang about unspeakable joy. 

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We pray that you would use this 
time to help us imitate this man

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of God who said follow me as I 
follow Christ. 

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So though we we yield now and we
ask for you to guide us through 

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every verse in this chapter, 
believing that you will speak to

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our hearts. 
We pray these things in the name

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of the living Christ. 
Amen and Amen. 6 schemes that 

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you and I have to be aware of if
we really want to withstand all 

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that Satan would throw at us to 
thwart or to derail us from what

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God has called us to do #1 
compromise. 

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Compromise. 
That's quite obvious, is it not?

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But not to some. 
There are those who look at the 

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response of the leaders in Judah
here in the first few verses and

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feel as though it was a little 
harsh, maybe insensitive, and 

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even unnecessary. 
Here you are moving back into 

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the neighborhood. 
There are still inhabitants in 

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the land. 
I think it would be good to not 

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just build a temple, but maybe 
build relationships, a foster 

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harmony, maybe even build some 
kind of alliance on top of that.

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You can use some help exiles and
they're willing to offer it. 

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Now, that might be a debatable 
thing if the author had not 

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included the detail in the 
beginning of this chapter. 

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Plain and clear. 
Whatever assumed innocence there

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might be on the part of this 
group of representatives who 

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approach the Exiles, all of that
is quickly dismissed by the fact

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that we're told that they are 
the adversaries of Judah and 

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Benjamin. 
These are not friends, nor are 

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they friendly. 
We know from the beginning that 

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these residents have not come to
help, that we can actually 

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question their motives because 
we're told that they're enemies 

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of God's people. 
So whatever they're presenting 

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here as a veneer, we have every 
right to see that this is 

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actually a veiled sabotage. 
This is something sketchy, this 

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is something to question. 
And the way that they're 

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actually going to try to take 
advantage and hijack the 

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resurrection of this temple is 
by trying to convince these 

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exiles to form an unholy 
alliance. 

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There's no hint here that 
they're going to physically 

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assault or damage the structure.
That would actually be a foolish

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move because they have some 
knowledge that the King of 

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Persia gave them permission and 
even the funds to actually build

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it. 
So what are they going to do 

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instead? 
They're going to try to 

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contaminate the House of God. 
And we can confirm this further 

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when we understand the origins 
of these adversaries. 

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Where do they come from? 
Well, we have a clue here in 

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verse two. 
Look at it again at the end they

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said, and we have been 
sacrificing him ever since the 

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days of Sr. 
Haddon, king of Syria, who 

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brought us here. 
So we studied second kings 

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together, 1st and 2nd kings. 
And we remember that before the 

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Babylonian invasion of the 
people of Judah and Benjamin, 

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there was an Assyrian invasion 
that removed the northern 

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Kingdom of Israel, the 10 tribes
of Israel. 

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But we also studied that not 
only were these tribes removed 

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from their land, but they were 
replaced. 

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And this was a common strategy 
of the Assyrian Empire. 

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It was a way of disorienting and
demoralizing their captives. 

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They would take them from one 
place and put them in another 

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country, and from this country 
they would remove them and place

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them into this region. 
And that's what they did with 

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the Israelites. 
They removed many of them, and 

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then they replaced them, 
according to Second King 1724, 

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with men and women from Babylon 
and Kuthan, Ava, Hemeth and 

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Sephirvaiam. 
And they settled in these vacant

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cities in Israel. 
But these new residents realize 

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that there is a God of Israel, 
and so the Syrian leadership 

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sends back one of their priests 
to teach him about the God of 

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Israel. 
We learned that they attempt to 

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worship him, but their worship 
towards the true God was not 

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pure worship. 
Listen to this verse, it's very 

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important. 
It's actually worth putting in 

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your margin here in Ezra 4 in 
Second Kings 17 verse 33 it 

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reads. 
So they feared the Lord, but 

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also served their own gods after
the manner of the nations from 

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among. 
Whom they had been carried away,

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so they. 
Devoted themselves to Yahweh, 

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but they place them on the same 
level as other deities. 

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Here's why all of this matters. 
What you have here in Ezra 

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chapter. 
Four are the descendants of 

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these idolaters. 
These are the descendants of 

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those who were placed in the 
land of Israel and remained ever

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since, who would later become 
known as who the Samaritans. 

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So this is a generational 
problem, actually. 

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It doesn't begin here and it 
won't end here. 

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But here's the point that we 
want to we want to understand if

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they had assimilated with these 
exiles who had returned, it 

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would have proved to be 
disastrous for the spiritual 

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life and testimony of this 
people. 

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So many other temptations would 
have opened up. 

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You can imagine what kind of 
demands they would make on the 

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people of Judah had they helped 
build the temple. 

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Well, we helped you. 
So we want these rights and we 

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want to worship in this way. 
Or maybe it would have been less

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threatening than that and there 
would have been intermarriage. 

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It would have been. 
Dangerous. 

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Had they accepted this offer? 
Here's a lesson for us to 

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consider. 
One of Satan's most prominent 

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devices in getting the church to
accept and partner with 

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falsehood under the guise of 
honoring God and looking out for

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the interests of his people is 
exemplified here. 

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And he wears many pleasant 
masks. 

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And he offers many ways of 
fulfilling supposed needs that 

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we might have in order to be 
more convincing. 

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00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,840
And here's how you and I can 
protect ourselves from listen. 

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Dangerous friendships, regretful
partnerships, heartbreaking 

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00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:58,760
marriages, and even compromised 
ministries. 

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It's not by simply asking those 
who present themselves to us if 

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they worship God. 
That's not enough. 

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Do you worship the true God? 
And do you worship the true God 

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00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,800
alone? 
That's what we have to ask. 

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00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:17,560
That's what we have to discern. 
So you say you believe in the 

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00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:19,480
gospel of Jesus Christ. 
What do you believe about it? 

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Don't just tell me you believe 
in the gospel. 

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00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:23,600
What? 
Gospel do you believe in? 

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00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,440
You tell me that you submit to 
the word of God. 

239
00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,840
OK, To what degree and on what 
issues? 

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There's a lot of people who pay 
lip service to the Bible, but is

241
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,760
it the whole Bible? 
Is it part of the Bible? 

242
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:40,760
You know, there are many people 
who are teaching in seminars 

243
00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:42,960
that don't believe that there's 
a single miracle in the Bible, 

244
00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:46,000
but they'll say they teach the 
Bible. 

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00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,800
OK, what about it? 
OK, you claim to be a part of 

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00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:55,200
the Church of Jesus Christ and 
that your church is worshipping 

247
00:15:55,200 --> 00:16:00,440
God. 
To what degree does the church 

248
00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,040
that you are a part of submit to
the word of God? 

249
00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,520
And how much of your worship is 
actually instructed by the 

250
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:10,800
principles of the scriptures? 
See, they, they approached the 

251
00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:13,520
Exiles and says we worship the 
same God as you. 

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00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,200
And many people are making the 
same claim. 

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00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,880
And here's the thing though. 
Those who actually profess 

254
00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:26,200
devotion to God oftentimes will 
expose themselves how by the way

255
00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,360
that they live for him. 
And you find that even here, 

256
00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:33,200
what do they say? 
They said here that they worship

257
00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,960
the same God and that they have 
been sacrificing to him ever 

258
00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,400
since that they were brought 
into the land through the 

259
00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:41,440
Assyrians. 
Here's a question. 

260
00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,600
How did you sacrifice to God 
when you had no altar or no 

261
00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,040
temple? 
Good question, right? 

262
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:54,000
I think so. 
So you see there are false and 

263
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:58,400
compromised worshippers who 
sometimes expose themselves and 

264
00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:00,680
if they're very clever, it takes
a little bit of time. 

265
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,160
So I know this may hard may be 
hard to believe, but you have to

266
00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:11,359
know it that there are many who 
affirm a desire to honor God and

267
00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:16,119
even build for God but have 
ulterior motives. 

268
00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,079
They have selfish agendas in 
mind. 

269
00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,040
They are harboring something 
else that is not in alignment 

270
00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,920
with the truth. 
They're out there, and they're 

271
00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:30,520
bold enough to even step foot 
into the Church of Christ and 

272
00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:34,840
claim that they are an ally and 
they're not. 

273
00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:40,400
And that's why each of us has to
possess discernment and courage 

274
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,560
unless we succumb to syncretism.
That's you and I. 

275
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,600
Open ourselves up to an 
infiltration of those who have 

276
00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:55,800
different ideas and can even 
harm what we want to protect. 

277
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:58,480
And praise God, these leaders 
had it. 

278
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,560
Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the 
others, they can smell it from a

279
00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:03,400
mile away. 
They didn't entertain it for a 

280
00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,760
moment. 
They saw right through all the 

281
00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:11,680
facade and all the verbiage and 
all the supposed niceness. 

282
00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:16,160
They said no way. 
We are the pure breed. 

283
00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,280
We worship the true God. 
You don't. 

284
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:24,280
And we have nothing to do with 
you in terms of working together

285
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,360
for the glory of God. 
This belongs to us and to us 

286
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:28,840
alone. 
And here's where those who 

287
00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,880
promote ecumenical philosophies 
in the name of love, in the name

288
00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,360
of Christian unity need to keep 
this in mind. 

289
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,520
Because we see something here 
exemplary with Zerubbabel, but I

290
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,880
see something with a descendant 
of Zerubbabel known as Jesus 

291
00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:45,120
Christ. 
You understand that he himself 

292
00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:46,560
is a descendant of Zerubbabel, 
right? 

293
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,960
And now only is he from this 
royal line. 

294
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,720
He also had a conversation with 
a Samaritan. 

295
00:18:55,560 --> 00:19:02,080
And yes, Christ is filled with 
grace and emanating glory and 

296
00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:07,880
oozing compassion, but with this
woman who is beaten and battered

297
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:14,960
by her own people, who is 
ostracized by her culture, when 

298
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,960
Christ approached her, that was 
scandalous enough. 

299
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,920
He never compromised in her 
pursuit, in His pursuit to win 

300
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:22,880
her. 
You understand that, right? 

301
00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:25,720
They had a conversation about 
many things and one of the main 

302
00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,400
things was worship. 
And do you remember what Jesus 

303
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,480
said in John 4 verse 22? 
Let me remind you, He says to 

304
00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,000
this Samaritan, a descendant of 
the same group that approached 

305
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:41,760
Zerubbabel, you worship what you
do not know. 

306
00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:47,800
We worship what we know, for 
salvation comes from the Jews. 

307
00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,160
He's drawing a line here. 
He's making something very 

308
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,640
clear. 
In his desire and in his 

309
00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:01,360
endeavor to win her heart, he 
never compromised. 

310
00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:04,840
He says you don't worship the 
truth. 

311
00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:07,560
You don't we do. 
We have the truth because 

312
00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:12,520
salvation has come to the Jews. 
So this is this is something we 

313
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,600
even see in our Lord and our 
Savior that when something's 

314
00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,200
false, he was willing to call it
false and he wasn't unloving. 

315
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,000
That's the most loving thing you
can actually do. 

316
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,880
And he didn't. 
Bend and he didn't massage and 

317
00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:29,080
he didn't twist and he didn't 
dilute anything to to try to 

318
00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,680
allure and to try to win. 
No, no, no. 

319
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,240
He's stuck with the truth. 
He believed that it was powerful

320
00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:39,240
enough to set the hearts of 
people who are captives free and

321
00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,200
he proved it. 
He proved it. 

322
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,800
But Satan loves to to come and 
to. 

323
00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:52,440
Present himself in a way that 
seems unharmful, that seems even

324
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,560
optimistic, that seems even 
fruitful, when in fact it's 

325
00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:57,840
compromised. 
Be aware of that. 

326
00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:02,400
But if he can't get God's people
to compromise, he will find ways

327
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,840
to discourage. 
He will find ways to discourage 

328
00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:07,160
us in our pursuit of 
righteousness. 

329
00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,080
That's the next plan of action 
in our passage here. 

330
00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:16,840
Let's look at verse 4 together. 
Now then the people of the land 

331
00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:21,880
discouraged the people of Judah 
and made them afraid to build 

332
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,960
and bribed counselors against 
them to frustrate their purpose.

333
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,520
All the days of Cyrus, king of 
Persia, even until the reign of 

334
00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:33,680
Darius king of Persia, 
discouraged. 

335
00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:40,120
So the original word actually. 
Conveys the idea of sinking down

336
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:46,560
and letting go or relaxing, 
which is often what you see in 

337
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,760
someone who continues in a 
disheartened state. 

338
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:57,000
Dejection is one of the most 
common temptations implemented 

339
00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:00,720
to weaken Christians in their 
service to the Lord or to even 

340
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,240
just give up altogether. 
It has claimed many victims. 

341
00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:08,320
It has hindered many, many men 
and women of God. 

342
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,920
And though we are not explicitly
told how or what they said to 

343
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,800
discourage these exiles, we 
might have an idea from a 

344
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:21,520
different part of the Bible. 
Nehemiah's own experience is 

345
00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:26,000
very similar to that of this 
first group of exiles. 

346
00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,040
Nehemiah will be the leader of 
the third wave of exiles 1/3 in 

347
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,920
the final wave and as he sought 
to rebuild the walls. 

348
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,120
You almost have a copy paste of 
what you find here in his book I

349
00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:39,680
Want You. 
To see what happens in Nehemiah 

350
00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:45,760
chapter 4, let's go with it 
together in Nehemiah chapter 4, 

351
00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:52,360
beginning in verse one. 
Remember, Nehemiah comes many, 

352
00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:56,880
many years after Zerubbabel and 
Joshua between the. 1st wave and

353
00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,040
the third wave you have a span 
of 90 to 100 years. 

354
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,440
But all the tactics of the evil 
one do not change. 

355
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,400
Look at Nehemiah chapter 4, 
verse one. 

356
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,080
Now when Sanballat heard that 
they were building the wall, he 

357
00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,840
was very angry and greatly 
enraged, and jeered at the Jews.

358
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:18,120
And he said in the presence of 
his brothers and of the army of 

359
00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:21,760
Samaria, what are these feeble 
Jews doing? 

360
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:23,640
Will they restore for 
themselves? 

361
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,600
Will they sacrifice? 
Will they finish up in a day? 

362
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,280
Will they revive the stones out 
of these heaps of rubbish, and 

363
00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:34,520
burned ones at that, to buy the 
Ammonite was beside him, and he 

364
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,320
said, yes, what are they 
building? 

365
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,480
If a fox goes up on it, he will 
break down their Stonewall. 

366
00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:43,840
So let's point out a few things 
of this mockery and this 

367
00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:48,880
scornful verbal attack. 
The first thing that Sambala 

368
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,800
does here in terms of his 
discouragement is that he 

369
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:52,360
targets the condition of the 
Jews. 

370
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:54,880
What are these feeble Jews 
doing? 

371
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,560
So he, he, he. 
Wants to under score their 

372
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,440
weakness, their inability that 
they're unqualified, that 

373
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,760
they're they're uncapable in 
themselves to actually do 

374
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:10,160
anything of worth. 
Another tactic you use is to 

375
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,920
emphasize the unlikelihood of 
finishing it in a reasonable 

376
00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:15,480
time. 
Will they finish up in a day? 

377
00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:17,320
What do you guys are actually 
going to do? 

378
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,080
How do you think you're going to
actually do this? 

379
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:20,720
You think you're going to do it 
in your lifetime? 

380
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:22,960
Who knows how they added to 
that? 

381
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,840
Most of you won't even be alive 
to see half of this build. 

382
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,440
You can only imagine. 
Finally, he underscores the 

383
00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,320
magnitude of the damage as just 
to suggest that this, this whole

384
00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,280
thing is not even worth it. 
Your, your efforts are a waste. 

385
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:38,760
Those are you going to revive 
these stones out of the heap? 

386
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:42,240
These are burn stones, maybe 
even showing them their lack of 

387
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,680
resources. 
This is all pointless. 

388
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,280
If it wasn't disheartening 
enough, you got this. 

389
00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,200
Tobiah the Ammonite who chimes 
in, and what does he do? 

390
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,560
He attacks the quality and the 
effectiveness of the work. 

391
00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,520
Even if you were to build it, if
a little fox walked on this 

392
00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:02,720
wall, it would just crumble. 
So I want to suggest to you that

393
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,760
these seeds of doubt by these 
men are no different from the 

394
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,760
thoughts that frequently arise 
in the hearts of servants of God

395
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:17,120
today. 
You're too weak to accomplish 

396
00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:20,480
anything. 
You're now you're not going to 

397
00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:22,360
be able to achieve anything 
significant or realistic amount 

398
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:25,320
of time anyway. 
You're too old, you got saved 

399
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,000
too late, you wasted most of 
your life. 

400
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,160
Oh you have these big dreams to 
serve God, huh? 

401
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,960
Be realistic. 
You don't have the resources to 

402
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,440
even do anything. 
Where? 

403
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,880
Where are your partners? 
Who's going to support you? 

404
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:50,520
And even if you do, is it really
even going to matter? 

405
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,280
Is it going to have an impact? 
Is it going to bless people? 

406
00:25:56,080 --> 00:26:02,040
Nobody knows your name. 
But Nehemiah here shows us at 

407
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,840
least one thing that we have to 
do in order to prevent these 

408
00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:06,160
seeds from taking root in our 
hearts. 

409
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,600
Look at verse 4 of Nehemiah 4. 
In the middle of this journal 

410
00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,320
entry. 
He he breaks out into prayer. 

411
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,800
Hear, O our God, for we are 
despised. 

412
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,200
Turn back their taunt on their 
own heads and give them up to be

413
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,560
plundered in a land where they 
are captives. 

414
00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:29,280
What an example, what an 
instruction for us that when 

415
00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:33,440
voices internally, even 
externally ambush your faith, 

416
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:37,640
you take every threat, every 
criticism, and you go to the 

417
00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,320
Lord and you lay it at his feet 
and say, Lord, you do something 

418
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,120
with this. 
There are times where you have 

419
00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:45,040
to respond to people and there 
are other times you give it to 

420
00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,040
God and let him respond to them.
And you have to develop a 

421
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:51,560
discernment to know when. 
There are times where Paul spoke

422
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,560
up in defense of his credentials
as an apostle, and there are 

423
00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:56,520
other times where you don't say 
anything because it's a waste of

424
00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,960
time and energy. 
Nehemiah, at this point, he 

425
00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,960
comes straight into the presence
of God and he says, Lord, you 

426
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,280
deal with these lies. 
I refuse to believe them. 

427
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:11,040
Be aware, believer, that 
discouragement is one of Satan's

428
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:14,320
favorite weapons to deflate us 
in our faithfulness. 

429
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:17,840
Let's come back to our main 
tanks and look at the third 

430
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,800
scheme that Satan will employ to
stop us from building something 

431
00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,080
for God. 
It's in the same. 

432
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:26,280
Verse Verse 4 The people of the 
land discouraged the people of 

433
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,000
Judah and made them. 
Afraid. 

434
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:33,920
That's point #3 fear. 
Satan loves fear. 

435
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:36,720
And again, like the 
discouragement, we aren't given 

436
00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:38,800
the exact details of his fearful
tactics. 

437
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,280
But what is clear is that if the
enemy cannot discourage you, he 

438
00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:49,440
will seek to intimidate you, to 
frighten you, to make you second

439
00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:54,480
guess, to make you reconsider. 
And if you and I want to be a 

440
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,200
church that is prepared to make 
a difference, we also have to be

441
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:03,680
prepared that Satan has his 
vessels, his instruments, his 

442
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:10,160
tools to threaten you. 
If you dare to expand or you 

443
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:15,400
dare to reach out and do greater
things for God. 

444
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,160
Many years ago, I knew of a 
church that wanted to equip the 

445
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:27,000
members of how to defend and how
to evangelize Muslims. 

446
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,680
And so they just started, if my 
memory serves me right, they did

447
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:36,480
one evening service. 
They had evening services and 

448
00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,120
then the second one came along 
the second week and I was told 

449
00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:45,480
this that they had received, I 
don't remember if it was an 

450
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,240
e-mail or a YouTube comment from
an anonymous individual that 

451
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,920
said because you were speaking 
against Islam, I will come and 

452
00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,440
bomb this church. 
What do you think that church 

453
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:59,360
did? 
They didn't delete the comment. 

454
00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:04,360
They deleted their videos and 
they stopped that series of 

455
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,360
teachings in Islam. 
What did it take? 

456
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:11,000
All it took was an anonymous 
comment from somebody 

457
00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:15,120
threatening them to snuff out 
that light that could have built

458
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:17,600
up the church and even opened 
the eyes of those in. 

459
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:18,720
Darkness. 
That's all it took. 

460
00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:23,240
You know, for other ministers, 
it doesn't even take that much. 

461
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:26,720
Sometimes it just takes some bad
Google reviews to reconsider 

462
00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,120
their biblical methods. 
That's all. 

463
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,560
It takes a thumbs down on your 
Facebook page for them to have a

464
00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:35,080
meeting. 
Well, what do we do? 

465
00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:40,800
You can't, you can't even 
entertain the thought of doing 

466
00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:42,880
something significant for the 
Kingdom of God if you are a 

467
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,680
fearful Christian. 
Yes, I understand that there is 

468
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,280
wisdom, but a lot of things that
people say is wisdom is actually

469
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:55,320
cowardly fear. 
And you and I have to decide 

470
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,200
we're either going to be a 
ministry that's going to 

471
00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,880
interpret things like I just 
gave as an example to say we 

472
00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:05,320
must be doing something right, 
or allow fear to convince us 

473
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,080
that the work is not worth the 
risk. 

474
00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:13,200
I refuse the latter. 
I refuse the latter because if 

475
00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,120
you understand how the enemy 
operates, that you are better 

476
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:21,320
prepared when fear comes 
knocking in your pursuit of 

477
00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:25,000
obedience to Christ. 
Fear. 

478
00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,680
I wonder what they said to them.
We're not told, but we come to 

479
00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,480
the fourth point here in verse 5
of Ezra 4. 

480
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:38,440
And bribed counselors against 
them to frustrate their purpose.

481
00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,760
All the days of Cyrus, king of 
Persia, even until the reign of 

482
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:48,480
Darius, king of. 
Persia, Frustrate, frustration. 

483
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,960
This phrase really struck me as 
I was meditating on it because 

484
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,480
the adversaries of Judah and 
Benjamin went so far as to 

485
00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:03,000
actually hire people to actually
pay. 

486
00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:11,360
People to counsel against the 
remnant from building the 

487
00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:14,440
temple. 
This could have been done by 

488
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,600
people actually going into the 
community of faith and advising 

489
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:21,560
them why it's not smart and and 
maybe they should reconsider. 

490
00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:24,920
It could have been sowing 
discord among the group, but 

491
00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,520
what's even more likely is that 
they went out to those who 

492
00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:32,960
partnered with the Exiles and 
tried to persuade them to 

493
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,680
reconsider their investments. 
So you remember back in Ezra 3 

494
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:42,400
seven that this same group 
received a grant from Cyrus to 

495
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:48,240
do what? 
Hire the Lebanese workers and 

496
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:51,560
and cedar from Lebanon to build 
a temple. 

497
00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,320
And it could be that these same 
counselors that were bribed even

498
00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:59,160
went out to the Persian courts 
and spoke to officials and 

499
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:04,400
governors and leaders to maybe 
change the amount of money that 

500
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,320
they're giving to put into 
different use or to even just 

501
00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,760
stop the flow of funds 
altogether. 

502
00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,120
We don't know. 
But all we do know is that, 

503
00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:16,480
listen, they were so filled with
hatred that they were willing to

504
00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:22,760
to reach into their pockets and 
actually make expenses in order 

505
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:27,200
to stop what God was doing. 
That should convict us. 

506
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:34,680
These, these were so opposed to 
righteousness that they were 

507
00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:39,760
willing to spend their own 
resources to stop this thing 

508
00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,800
being built for God. 
They bribed these counselors. 

509
00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,800
How much do you have to despise 
something or someone to do that?

510
00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,800
People love money. 
They're willing to hold on to 

511
00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:55,360
every penny if they could. 
But for these adversaries to 

512
00:32:55,360 --> 00:33:01,840
actually make payments says 
volumes about their passion. 

513
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:05,680
And on the other hand, you have 
some Christians who love money 

514
00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:08,160
in their possessions more than 
fulfilling their part to support

515
00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,920
God's work. 
It's a convicting thought. 

516
00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,520
Here you have Satan's 
representatives willing to 

517
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:21,400
spend, to hinder, I don't know, 
just talking about money. 

518
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,120
I'm talking about our time, our 
energy, our efforts. 

519
00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,280
This is just another 
illustration, at least for me as

520
00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:34,400
I read it, of how it's possible 
for those who serve darkness to 

521
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,440
outshine those who serve the 
light in their commitment and 

522
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:41,280
determination for their 'cause 
God forbid. 

523
00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:45,200
Frustration. 
They they try to make things 

524
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,320
more difficult, they try to 
actually hinder and divide this 

525
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,160
group. 
Whispers from inside, whispering

526
00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:56,840
outside, and now we come to our 
fifth tactic and it really takes

527
00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:00,840
up most of this chapter. 
And I labeled it defamation. 

528
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,640
Defamation. 
Look at verse 6. 

529
00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:08,719
Now remember Ezra now is fast 
forwarding in time. 

530
00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,760
This is a parenthetical part of 
Ezra chapter 4. 

531
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:17,480
He stops the chronology. 
And he now inserts something 

532
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:19,639
from the future because again, 
he's trying to present and 

533
00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:21,880
emphasize a theme. 
The theme is opposition. 

534
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:23,800
Look what God's people had to go
through. 

535
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,040
And so he goes to what? 
Look at verse 6. 

536
00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:29,719
And in the reign of Asuras, in 
the beginning of his reign, they

537
00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:34,600
wrote an accusation against the 
inhabitants of Judah and 

538
00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,960
Jerusalem. 
So now they're slandering. 

539
00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,520
Now they're actually putting 
together letters and and 

540
00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,880
arguments, and they're trying to
compile evidence to try to put 

541
00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:50,320
an end to this endeavor. 
And so they reach out to the 

542
00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,760
Asuras. 
This is the same Asuras, by the 

543
00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:56,080
way, who is ruling and reigning.
The world at the time? 

544
00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:00,240
In the days of who? 
Does anybody remember Esther the

545
00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:03,360
same as Asuras and Esther? 
And doesn't seem like he gave 

546
00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:06,720
any attention to it. 
But it didn't stop this group. 

547
00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,880
The resilience of these foes is 
evident in verse 7. 

548
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,440
So what did they do? 
They sent another letter in the 

549
00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:18,280
days of Arctic Xerxes showing us
that they were not deterred all 

550
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:20,720
again, all that believers would 
have this kind of commitment 

551
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,440
assures didn't answer them. 
So what do they do? 

552
00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:27,560
I just let him build it. 
No, we're going to wait for the 

553
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:30,640
next king to come up and this is
a new opportunity and we're 

554
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,400
going to jump on it because he's
a fresh mind. 

555
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,880
He's removed from the actual 
historical elements of it, and 

556
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:41,040
we can inform him so that we can
actually gain what we're trying 

557
00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:45,000
to accomplish. 
So he's giving us a glimpse of 

558
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:48,400
the future and he's showing us 
here that even after the temple 

559
00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:51,040
was completed, opposition didn't
end. 

560
00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:54,320
The Samaritans continue to 
harass and to. 

561
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:59,680
Prick this remnant even as they 
sought to rebuild the city and 

562
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:03,200
the walls. 
And as we read this letter, now 

563
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:11,160
we're going to notice some 
features of satanic slander, how

564
00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:15,840
the devil will actually malign 
our reputation. 

565
00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:18,800
If you're able to overcome 
compromise and you're able to 

566
00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:22,600
conquer discouragement, and 
you're not given to fear. 

567
00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:26,720
And you're not easily agitated 
by circumstances when there's 

568
00:36:26,720 --> 00:36:28,920
things happening in the 
background that are trying to 

569
00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:32,560
frustrate your commitment to the
things of God. 

570
00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:35,600
Be ready. 
Listen carefully. 

571
00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:40,920
Be ready for your reputation to 
be dragged. 

572
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:47,360
And to be bruised by those who 
hate what you do for God. 

573
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:51,880
Let's begin. 
I want us to rehear verse 7 down

574
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:55,400
to verse 12. 
In the days of Artaxerxes, 

575
00:36:55,400 --> 00:37:00,000
Bishlam and Mithridath and Tabil
and the rest of their associates

576
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:02,080
wrote to Artaxerxes, king of 
Persia. 

577
00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:04,960
The letter was written Aramaic 
and translated. 

578
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,680
Rehab the commander and Shimshi 
the scribe wrote a letter 

579
00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:12,480
against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes 
the king as follows. 

580
00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:15,720
Rehab the commander, Shimshai 
the scribe, and the rest of 

581
00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:18,400
their associates, the judges, 
the governors, the officials, 

582
00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,960
the Persians, the men of Iraq, 
the Babylonians, the men of 

583
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:23,080
Susa, that is the Elamites. 
Wow. 

584
00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,640
Pause there. 
Like who's left? 

585
00:37:27,200 --> 00:37:30,040
Everybody you can think of is 
behind this letter. 

586
00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,840
Let's go on. 
And the men of Susa, that is, 

587
00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:38,600
the Elamites and the rest of the
nations, whom the great noble 

588
00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:42,280
Asanapar deported and settled in
the cities of Samaria, and in 

589
00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:44,160
the rest of the province beyond 
the river. 

590
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:47,240
This is a copy of the letter 
that they sent to Arctic Xerxes.

591
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:51,120
The king, your servants, the men
of the province beyond the 

592
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:54,640
river, send greeting. 
And now, being known to the king

593
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,760
that the Jews who came up from 
you to us have gone to 

594
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:04,760
Jerusalem, they are rebuilding 
that rebellious and wicked city.

595
00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:08,800
They're finishing the walls and 
repairing the foundations. 

596
00:38:10,240 --> 00:38:12,320
See how they call? 
Jerusalem, what they call 

597
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:16,320
Jerusalem, a rebellious and 
wicked city. 

598
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:22,080
That might have been true of 
their past, but this is a 

599
00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:26,880
chastened, renewed, redeemed 
generation. 

600
00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:32,560
It no longer applies to them. 
And yet they were characterized 

601
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:39,120
as evil even in their obedience.
Be prepared to be deemed evil, 

602
00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:44,520
unrighteous, unloving. 
Fill in the blank 

603
00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:49,520
mischaracterized for doing what 
was right. 

604
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:52,960
But look at the second part of 
verse 12. 

605
00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,640
There might be an element of 
exaggeration here since they 

606
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:58,360
mentioned how they were 
finishing the walls and 

607
00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:03,960
repairing the foundations. 
If this letter was put together 

608
00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:09,520
before Nehemiah, which is likely
the case, then these reports 

609
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:14,440
were likely overstatements. 
They were inflated. 

610
00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:18,760
To make the situation seem more 
dire and urgent. 

611
00:39:19,240 --> 00:39:21,160
O king, did you not realize 
they're almost done? 

612
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:25,000
They have the walls up the city,
the foundations are there. 

613
00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:30,080
It's about to get very ugly for 
you, Artaxerxes. 

614
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:33,280
So there might be exaggeration 
here. 

615
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,200
In order to make their case more
convincing, more dramatic. 

616
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,960
Be prepared, servant of Christ, 
for others to exaggerate about 

617
00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:45,920
your shortcomings or suppose it 
flaws. 

618
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:52,200
Or situations or circumstances 
that make you look bad, that 

619
00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:55,640
make you look unfair, make you 
look unwise. 

620
00:39:57,240 --> 00:39:59,240
We all. 
Have this, humans have this, 

621
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:04,800
that when we want to try to 
persuade or to convey something,

622
00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,480
we rely on exaggeration, not 
even realize it. 

623
00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:12,000
You might have seen this too. 
You might have heard this where 

624
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:13,720
there might be even a complaint 
of the church or somebody might 

625
00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:15,720
be saying something and they 
say, well, many are saying when 

626
00:40:15,720 --> 00:40:19,760
you actually ask, OK, who? 
It's like one or two people, but

627
00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,720
it sounded like a multitude. 
Many, many. 

628
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,200
Well, what do you mean many? 
Like who? 

629
00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:28,800
Exaggeration. 
This is what we find here 

630
00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:30,400
potentially. 
But look at verse 13. 

631
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:34,720
What do they say here? 
They go on from there to say now

632
00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:37,880
be it known to the king that if 
this city is rebuilt and the 

633
00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:42,680
walls finished, they will not 
pay tribute, custom or toll and 

634
00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,320
the royal revenue will be 
impaired. 

635
00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:51,960
You're assuming now these are 
just now plain lies. 

636
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:53,760
This is speculation. 
There is. 

637
00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:57,400
No evidence whatsoever that if 
the people had restored 

638
00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:01,360
themselves that they would 
refrain from giving their 

639
00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:04,320
tribute to the king. 
In fact, you actually see the 

640
00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:08,800
opposite in Nehemiah. 
Nehemiah, as a leader maintained

641
00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:13,680
honor and respect to their 
overseers and their rulers as 

642
00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:16,440
they continue to do what God 
called them to do. 

643
00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:19,680
But at this point, they're just 
now just accusing they're, 

644
00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:26,680
they're actually assuming the 
motives of this remnant and then

645
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:33,480
projecting it as fact. 
And I said this earlier about 

646
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:38,160
Paul, that he had to face that 
more than one occasion in his 

647
00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:41,760
letters, we see that the 
Corinthians, the Corinthians 

648
00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:43,800
were being seduced by false 
teachers. 

649
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,080
And one of the accusations that 
they were making against Paul 

650
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:49,920
was, you know, this man Paul, 
he's just preaching for money. 

651
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,400
He wants financial gain. 
He's taking advantage of you. 

652
00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:59,240
And Paul had to lower himself 
and say, I can't believe I'm 

653
00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:00,320
doing this. 
I feel like a fool. 

654
00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,160
Let me tell you how I'm not 
doing this for money. 

655
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:04,480
Let me remind you how it came 
freely to you. 

656
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:06,560
Let me remind you that I 
actually had to reserve my 

657
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:10,440
Apostolic right to win you and 
to free myself from any 

658
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:14,000
potential accusation. 
So you find this. 

659
00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:17,920
You find this consistently. 
So be prepared to be lied about 

660
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:21,360
as you serve God. 
Be prepared to have words 

661
00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:25,120
falsely put in your mouth, to 
have your intentions misjudged 

662
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,280
by those who are determined to 
smear you. 

663
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:35,360
It is very, very common. 
Well, there's more that we can 

664
00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:37,960
say, but let's go over and 
finish this in verses 14 to 

665
00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:42,840
verse 16 and the rest of this 
letter we read now because we 

666
00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:46,480
eat the salt of the palace and 
it is not fitting for us to 

667
00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:50,760
witness the kings dishonor. 
Therefore we send and inform the

668
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,840
king, Oh, how pious we're doing 
this. 

669
00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,480
For you, O king, this is 
flattery. 

670
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:01,880
Verse 15 An order that search 
may be made in the book of the 

671
00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:04,960
records of your father's. 
You will find in the book of the

672
00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:09,440
records and learn that this city
is a rebellious city, hurtful to

673
00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:13,560
kings and provinces, and that 
sedition was stirred up in it 

674
00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:17,120
from OF. 
Old These guys are good. 

675
00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:23,280
They now encourage art exerses 
to look back in the Royal 

676
00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:27,040
Archives. 
And to examine and investigate 

677
00:43:27,240 --> 00:43:32,760
the key highlights of the people
of Judah that would reveal that,

678
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:35,680
yeah, we've seen it. 
And 2nd Kings especially, they 

679
00:43:35,680 --> 00:43:39,520
have rebelled and they have 
resisted and they have refused 

680
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:43,160
their overseers, which 
ultimately led to their exile. 

681
00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:47,600
And they're doing this in order 
to persuade Artaxerxes that the 

682
00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:51,840
same will happen if they regain 
their autonomy, if they regain 

683
00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:54,920
their sovereignty. 
Say bye bye to your revenue out 

684
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:56,880
of Xerxes. 
And we have the history to prove

685
00:43:56,880 --> 00:43:59,880
it. 
Now, listen, some defamation, 

686
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:03,280
some slander is just out of thin
air. 

687
00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:08,160
It's just pure fabrication. 
The sophisticated ones, though, 

688
00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:13,640
they know how to weave in truth 
in order to make their case that

689
00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:15,600
much more believable. 
And that's what they're doing 

690
00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:16,800
here. 
This is true. 

691
00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:20,920
They do have that history and 
it's going to validate their 

692
00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:26,200
lies. 
And I remember reading this 

693
00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:28,200
months ago when I was just going
through Ezra and my personal 

694
00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:29,800
devotions. 
And when I came to this part, I 

695
00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,960
rejoiced. 
I still remember the feeling to 

696
00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,320
this day, reading this and 
meditating on it, how it stirred

697
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:37,800
my heart. 
It was actually on a Wednesday 

698
00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:39,600
because I remember sharing about
it on a Wednesday night. 

699
00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:44,240
And rejoice about what? 
Well, here's what you have to 

700
00:44:44,240 --> 00:44:47,600
consider. 
This moment serves as a 

701
00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:50,440
historical example of a 
spiritual reality. 

702
00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:55,800
Today, Satan is titled many 
things, including this, The 

703
00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:01,560
Accuser of the Brethren. 
And he accuses you and I day and

704
00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:07,520
night before the throne of God. 
And I'm sure that in his 

705
00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:11,880
accusation he brings up what we 
have done in the past. 

706
00:45:13,080 --> 00:45:17,800
He showcases and he seeks to 
remind God all our failures, all

707
00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:20,400
our defiance, every moment of 
disobedience. 

708
00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:24,360
Here's the part that's most 
exciting. 

709
00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:25,400
There's a massive difference, 
though. 

710
00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:29,280
There's similarity between the 
accusations here and the spirit 

711
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:36,800
behind this work. 
Our king doesn't believe it. 

712
00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:43,800
Our king, more specifically, 
never holds our past against us,

713
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:47,040
unlike Arctic Xerxes. 
We're going to find out here 

714
00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:52,320
that Arctic Xerxes actually 
trust these adversaries and 

715
00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,920
gives them what they want. 
And this is where I got so 

716
00:45:56,480 --> 00:45:59,480
excited. 
Lord, I thank you that you are 

717
00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:04,120
not like the kings of the earth 
who are blinded, who are easily 

718
00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:04,760
lied to. 
Who? 

719
00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:12,640
Are who are so lacking in their 
understanding because here's the

720
00:46:12,640 --> 00:46:16,360
reality in the gospel, no matter
what Satan pulls out of his 

721
00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:22,160
files and no matter what he 
points to, every single thing 

722
00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:26,400
that we have done in the eyes of
Christ is stamped with this 

723
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:33,480
glorious truth paid in full, and
it's never, ever, ever going to 

724
00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:35,480
change. 
That's the glorious thing about 

725
00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:42,080
the permanency of our salvation.
You can't know the joys of the 

726
00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:44,560
New Testament and the New 
Covenant if you believe that 

727
00:46:44,560 --> 00:46:46,880
that statement, paid in full, 
can be erased. 

728
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:50,480
Depending on how God feels about
your level of faithfulness. 

729
00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,840
But to know that there is a 
concrete reality to our 

730
00:46:56,840 --> 00:47:01,680
salvation makes us be able to go
to sleep so sweetly even though 

731
00:47:01,680 --> 00:47:04,200
Satan is staying up all night 
accusing you. 

732
00:47:08,040 --> 00:47:13,320
Now, it's important to note as 
we wrap up that verse 23 is 

733
00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:16,080
going to mark the end of Ezra's 
parenthetical inclusion of the 

734
00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:20,720
future letter and how its impact
was made on the rebuilding of 

735
00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:24,440
the city and the walls. 
But let's just read it here from

736
00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:28,400
verse 17 down to verse 23. 
This is the King's order. 

737
00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:31,560
After receiving this letter, the
king. 

738
00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:35,040
Sent an answer in verse 17 To Re
Hum the commander, and Shim Shy 

739
00:47:35,040 --> 00:47:37,880
the scribe, and the rest of 
their associates who lived in 

740
00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:40,480
Samaria, and then the rest of 
the province beyond the river. 

741
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:44,120
Greeting. 
And now the letter that you sent

742
00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:47,320
to us has been plainly read 
before me, and I made a decree. 

743
00:47:47,320 --> 00:47:50,280
And search has been made and has
been found that the city from 

744
00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:53,920
old has risen against kings, and
that rebellion and sedition have

745
00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:56,120
been made in it. 
And mighty kings have been over 

746
00:47:56,120 --> 00:47:58,480
Jerusalem who ruled over the 
whole province beyond the river,

747
00:47:58,680 --> 00:48:00,600
to whom tribute, custom, and 
toll were paid. 

748
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:04,440
Therefore make a decree that 
these men be made to cease, and 

749
00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,560
that the city be not rebuilt 
until a decree is. 

750
00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:11,000
Made by me. 
And take care not to be slack in

751
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,280
this matter. 
Why should damage grow to the 

752
00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:17,240
hurt of the king and the copy? 
Rather, when the copy of King 

753
00:48:17,240 --> 00:48:19,480
Artaxercy's letter was read 
before rehab and Shimshi 

754
00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:22,480
describe and their associates, 
they went into haste to the Jews

755
00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:26,080
of Jerusalem by force and power 
made them cease. 

756
00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:29,560
That's not how this chapter 
ends. 

757
00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:33,920
This is where the parenthetical 
comments end. 

758
00:48:34,240 --> 00:48:38,920
And now verse 24 brings us back 
to the chronology what happens 

759
00:48:38,920 --> 00:48:42,480
in verse 24 and the work on the 
House of God that is in 

760
00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:46,240
Jerusalem stopped and it ceased 
until the second year of the 

761
00:48:46,240 --> 00:48:49,200
reign of Darius king of Persia. 
Do you see how now he now comes 

762
00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:53,760
back to present time. 
Verse 24, look here carefully is

763
00:48:53,760 --> 00:48:55,360
connected to verse five of the 
same chapter. 

764
00:48:55,360 --> 00:48:58,800
Look back at verse 5 and bribe 
counselors against them to 

765
00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:02,440
frustrate their purpose all the 
days of Cyrus king of Persia, 

766
00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:04,440
even until the reign of Darius 
king of Persia. 

767
00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:10,440
So whatever they did with 
Zerubbabel and the leaders and 

768
00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:12,280
the remnant of their time, it 
worked. 

769
00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:17,800
It put an end to the building of
the House of God, and it wasn't 

770
00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:22,480
for a short amount of time. 
This time stamp in verse 24 

771
00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:24,960
should remind us of a different 
part of God's Word. 

772
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:30,040
Does anybody know where a part 
of God's Word starts or a book 

773
00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:32,440
rather starts with the same time
stamp? 

774
00:49:35,560 --> 00:49:39,360
Somebody said it. 
Close, but it is a prophet. 

775
00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:46,320
No? 
Well, I won't keep you too long.

776
00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:50,680
You got it. 
Hey Guy, look at Hey Guy chapter

777
00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:53,360
1. 
And this is where we are ending 

778
00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:56,800
tonight, because it is here 
where we will find our final 

779
00:49:57,320 --> 00:50:04,840
scheme that Satan uses against 
God's people as they seek to 

780
00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:09,120
build his house, build their 
faith, build their testimony, 

781
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:12,400
build their ministry. 
It's found here in Haggai. 

782
00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:18,480
Haggai one verse one in the 
second year of Darius the King 

783
00:50:19,080 --> 00:50:20,520
in the 6th. 
Month. 

784
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:24,680
On the first day of the month, 
the word of the Lord came by the

785
00:50:24,680 --> 00:50:29,040
hand of Haggai the prophet, to 
Zerubbabel the son of Shaltial, 

786
00:50:29,320 --> 00:50:32,960
governor of Judah, and to Joshua
the son of Jehozadak the high 

787
00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:37,840
priest. 
So back in Ezra 4 we learned 

788
00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:41,520
that the work on the House of 
God ceased until the second year

789
00:50:42,720 --> 00:50:45,680
of the reign of Darius. 
You come to Haggai, and the book

790
00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:49,800
opens up with what in the second
year of Darius the king Haggai 

791
00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:53,600
has something to do with the 
continuation of the building of 

792
00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:56,880
the house. 
And this is partly why look at 

793
00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:59,800
verse 2. 
Thus says the Lord of hosts. 

794
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:03,520
These people say the time has 
not yet come to rebuild the 

795
00:51:03,520 --> 00:51:06,160
House of the Lord. 
Then the word of the Lord came 

796
00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:07,640
by the hand of Haggai the 
prophet. 

797
00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:11,560
Is it a time for you yourselves 
to dwell in your paneled houses,

798
00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:15,720
while this house lies in ruins? 
Now therefore, thus says the 

799
00:51:15,720 --> 00:51:18,320
Lord of hosts, consider your 
ways. 

800
00:51:21,240 --> 00:51:25,040
So there was an effort from the 
adversaries to delay. 

801
00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:26,880
The building of the House of 
God. 

802
00:51:27,400 --> 00:51:31,080
But because of this and Haggai, 
we learned that the delay was 

803
00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:32,640
much longer than it needed to 
be. 

804
00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:40,680
And Haggai highlights the 
justification for their 

805
00:51:40,680 --> 00:51:45,200
unwillingness to rebuild. 
What did he say? 

806
00:51:45,560 --> 00:51:48,400
These people say the time has 
not yet come to rebuild the 

807
00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:50,880
House of the Lord. 
What does that mean? 

808
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:53,080
Well, when you collect the 
evidence from Ezra 4, as we've 

809
00:51:53,080 --> 00:51:56,520
been doing, and you merge it 
with Haggai, here's how this 

810
00:51:56,520 --> 00:51:59,200
makes sense. 
It could be that because of the 

811
00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:01,600
opposition, because of the 
difficulties. 

812
00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:06,960
Because of the obstacles the 
remnant determined, maybe this 

813
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:08,800
is not the right time to build 
God's house. 

814
00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:13,840
Maybe we should just pull back, 
ease off a little bit, focus on 

815
00:52:13,840 --> 00:52:16,600
other things and we can come 
back to when things. 

816
00:52:16,880 --> 00:52:21,360
Are a little easier. 
Here's the problem, if you 

817
00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:27,520
actually do the history and the 
numbers from when they began to 

818
00:52:27,520 --> 00:52:35,160
when they resumed, 16 years, 16 
years, and it could have been 

819
00:52:35,160 --> 00:52:38,760
more had not God raised up 
Haggai to step in and say hey, 

820
00:52:38,760 --> 00:52:42,400
hey, hey, hey, hey, it's time to
get back to work. 

821
00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:48,320
What happened here? 
This is the final point to 

822
00:52:48,320 --> 00:52:52,360
consider, Distraction. 
Distraction. 

823
00:52:54,520 --> 00:52:58,120
Satan hinders and prevents us 
from building God's work on 

824
00:52:58,120 --> 00:53:03,360
earth. 
If he can't discourage you, if 

825
00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:07,600
he can't frustrate you, if he 
can't get you to compromise, 

826
00:53:07,680 --> 00:53:11,440
then he can slip in some 
distraction and that may be 

827
00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:15,360
enough. 
Is God against renovations for 

828
00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:18,880
homes and building projects and 
personal hobbies? 

829
00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:20,840
No, What's the issue at hand 
here? 

830
00:53:21,040 --> 00:53:26,600
Priorities. 
You are working on your houses, 

831
00:53:27,680 --> 00:53:29,520
and God's house is still in 
ruins. 

832
00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:35,080
The very reason why I called you
out of Babylon into this land is

833
00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:36,720
so that you can rebuild my 
house. 

834
00:53:37,920 --> 00:53:39,160
And that's been pushed to the 
side. 

835
00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:44,280
And we have to be careful 
because many Christians with 

836
00:53:44,280 --> 00:53:49,680
misplaced priorities will 
justify them with challenging 

837
00:53:49,680 --> 00:53:52,560
circumstances, just as this 
generation did. 

838
00:53:52,560 --> 00:53:56,800
You can imagine the excuses that
they had in their minds that 

839
00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:00,480
they shared with one another. 
Again, what they said was this 

840
00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:04,000
is a must not be the time. 
And So what did they do? 

841
00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:05,360
They. 
Gave no time to God's house. 

842
00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:09,560
Maybe. 
Maybe there's a more profitable 

843
00:54:09,560 --> 00:54:12,160
time, a more favorable time. 
We're not there yet, so let's 

844
00:54:12,160 --> 00:54:15,200
just focus elsewhere. 
And years have gone by. 

845
00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:18,680
Makes you wonder how much sooner
you could have had the House of 

846
00:54:18,680 --> 00:54:26,360
God if you had just had the same
tenacity and holy ambition. 

847
00:54:27,880 --> 00:54:29,560
That's unfortunately exemplified
by who? 

848
00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:32,800
The enemies, The enemies of this
people. 

849
00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:36,280
And when they couldn't get into 
compromise, they discouraged. 

850
00:54:36,280 --> 00:54:38,440
And when they weren't 
discouraged, they put fear in 

851
00:54:38,440 --> 00:54:39,800
their hearts. 
And when the fear didn't have 

852
00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:42,840
its complete control, they 
sought to frustrate. 

853
00:54:42,840 --> 00:54:45,280
When that didn't really come 
through, they bribed and they 

854
00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:47,200
start spending money. 
They send one letter to Axers. 

855
00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:48,920
He didn't answer. 
Whoa, wait to art exerts they 

856
00:54:48,920 --> 00:54:52,360
sent. 
What is that and all it took was

857
00:54:52,360 --> 00:54:54,920
a little bit of frustration, a 
little bit of persecution and 

858
00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:56,840
one of these guys do they put 
their hands in the pocket and 

859
00:54:57,120 --> 00:55:00,520
said, I guess it's not time. 
This is pathetic. 

860
00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:04,520
And that's why God had to raise 
up a prophet to confront their 

861
00:55:04,520 --> 00:55:08,320
complacency. 
Your priorities are not right. 

862
00:55:08,840 --> 00:55:11,120
It's time to go back to God's 
house. 

863
00:55:11,480 --> 00:55:13,760
It's time to place him first. 
And if you. 

864
00:55:13,760 --> 00:55:15,240
Read the rest of the chapter, 
we'll get there. 

865
00:55:15,240 --> 00:55:19,320
I don't know, I guess a few 
years from now, but when we come

866
00:55:19,320 --> 00:55:23,560
to Haggai, we'll see that. 
This group wasn't blessed the 

867
00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:26,200
way they could have been had 
they prioritized God's house. 

868
00:55:27,080 --> 00:55:28,760
Everything that they sought to 
do and everything that they 

869
00:55:28,760 --> 00:55:33,960
sought to, to, to grow in and to
build for their future never 

870
00:55:33,960 --> 00:55:36,240
reach its full. 
Potential and God actually says 

871
00:55:36,240 --> 00:55:38,920
that in his own way because 
their priorities weren't right. 

872
00:55:39,760 --> 00:55:41,160
Here's my question for you 
tonight. 

873
00:55:43,480 --> 00:55:46,160
Do any of these schemes resonate
with you? 

874
00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:50,480
I'm I know I'm talking to many 
here who are servants of Christ.

875
00:55:51,200 --> 00:55:53,480
Why else would you be here on a 
Friday night to study the Old 

876
00:55:53,480 --> 00:55:59,520
Testament? 
Are you tempted to compromise? 

877
00:56:00,720 --> 00:56:04,240
Do you find it difficult to 
stand for the truth because in 

878
00:56:04,240 --> 00:56:07,240
your understanding, you think 
that we can be more effective 

879
00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:10,400
as, as Christians and as a 
church if we just accept others 

880
00:56:10,400 --> 00:56:12,560
who have different views that 
clearly contradict God's word. 

881
00:56:12,720 --> 00:56:15,040
But they come in the name of God
and they, they claim to hold the

882
00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:18,000
same Bible and, and they seem 
like they're, they're in the 

883
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:22,560
right place. 
Even Jesus looked at the smear 

884
00:56:22,560 --> 00:56:25,200
and says you don't know who you 
worship and what you worship. 

885
00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:28,280
We do though, and I'm going to 
tell you what worship means. 

886
00:56:28,440 --> 00:56:32,800
That's Jesus. 
What about discouragement? 

887
00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:34,120
Are you haunted by 
discouragement? 

888
00:56:35,240 --> 00:56:37,520
When's the last time you brought
it before God and you spilled 

889
00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:38,880
your soul? 
When's the last time you went to

890
00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:41,120
a trusted friend said, look, I 
got to tell you something. 

891
00:56:41,120 --> 00:56:43,920
I've been keeping this inside 
but I'm hanging by a thread. 

892
00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:47,720
When you, when is the last time?
You brought that to the light. 

893
00:56:48,160 --> 00:56:52,760
So that counsel and prayers can 
strengthen you and fortify you 

894
00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:56,880
so that you're not trapped by 
Satan's lies and that the 

895
00:56:56,880 --> 00:56:58,960
dejection that that paralyzes 
you. 

896
00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:01,160
What about fear? 
Are you fearful? 

897
00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:04,600
Do you love your life? 
Do you want to just be a 

898
00:57:04,600 --> 00:57:06,840
Christian as long as you don't 
step on anybody's toes? 

899
00:57:09,440 --> 00:57:11,760
Or do you love the glory of? 
Christ more than your life? 

900
00:57:14,240 --> 00:57:17,120
What about frustration? 
Are you easily agitated by 

901
00:57:17,120 --> 00:57:20,160
internal and external problems? 
Are you ready to quit when 

902
00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:27,000
things get difficult? 
Maybe it's not your life that 

903
00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:28,840
you love so much, it's your 
reputation. 

904
00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:35,880
And you have this ungodly 
addiction to make everybody 

905
00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:37,680
happy, no matter what it costs 
you. 

906
00:57:39,080 --> 00:57:41,640
That will kill your testimony 
and your fruitfulness. 

907
00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:48,160
Mark my words, one famous 
revivalist said one of these old

908
00:57:48,160 --> 00:57:52,200
men. 
I placed my reputation where I 

909
00:57:52,200 --> 00:57:54,360
placed my soul in the hands of 
God. 

910
00:57:58,240 --> 00:58:02,560
I think this final one is more 
relatable than any of the other,

911
00:58:02,560 --> 00:58:06,240
I'm sure. 
Distraction in this day and age,

912
00:58:09,200 --> 00:58:11,200
it could be that some of you are
itching to check your phone 

913
00:58:11,200 --> 00:58:12,320
right now. 
Throughout this whole study 

914
00:58:14,640 --> 00:58:19,800
distraction, it has sabotaged so
many people's potentials. 

915
00:58:21,440 --> 00:58:24,600
I'm not saying that we can't do 
anything else in life. 

916
00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:26,840
No, no, no. 
But prioritize God. 

917
00:58:27,640 --> 00:58:29,760
Where is he? 
Where is he? 

918
00:58:32,480 --> 00:58:34,240
Only you know and only God 
knows. 

919
00:58:34,600 --> 00:58:39,200
But today, through this Bible 
study, we've exposed many of 

920
00:58:39,200 --> 00:58:43,400
Satan's favorite devices, and we
can now come before the Lord and

921
00:58:43,400 --> 00:58:45,520
say, oh God, I don't want to be 
a victim to any of them. 

922
00:58:45,520 --> 00:58:48,200
I don't want to be captive to 
any of them. 

923
00:58:48,720 --> 00:58:53,560
Help me overcome each of them so
that I may thrive for your glory

924
00:58:53,720 --> 00:58:55,680
and be a part in building your 
house. 

925
00:58:55,840 --> 00:58:57,320
And that's a cry that he will 
answer. 

926
00:58:57,680 --> 00:58:59,440
Amen. 
Let's do it together. 

927
00:59:00,840 --> 00:59:05,320
We thank you, Lord God Almighty.
How something like Ezra chapter 

928
00:59:05,320 --> 00:59:09,160
4 can make us ready for 
spiritual warfare. 

929
00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:13,240
And we ask, O Lord, that 
everything that we've heard 

930
00:59:14,920 --> 00:59:17,720
would not just be understood, 
but retained. 

931
00:59:18,920 --> 00:59:21,160
Retained for when it matters the
most. 

932
00:59:23,840 --> 00:59:26,880
That we may be able to quench 
all of the fiery darts of the 

933
00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:29,320
Evil 1. 
All of them, not just some of 

934
00:59:29,320 --> 00:59:37,320
them. 
So, Lord, we pray tonight that 

935
00:59:37,320 --> 00:59:39,600
you would help us identify any 
of these things that are 

936
00:59:39,600 --> 00:59:43,680
beginning to have a foothold and
that by your strength and by 

937
00:59:43,680 --> 00:59:48,720
your grace, we would slam that 
door shut and that we would live

938
00:59:48,720 --> 00:59:51,840
secure and steadfast in our 
faithfulness to you. 

939
00:59:55,120 --> 00:59:57,240
And Lord, if there is anybody 
here who is fearful, 

940
00:59:57,240 --> 01:00:01,600
discouraged, frustrated, who 
might be even in a place in 

941
01:00:01,600 --> 01:00:04,560
their ministry where they're 
having to make a decision, one 

942
01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:07,480
that might be compromising. 
One that might be costly for 

943
01:00:07,480 --> 01:00:10,600
standing for the truth. 
For those who are hurt by what 

944
01:00:10,600 --> 01:00:12,400
others have said about them or 
saying about them. 

945
01:00:12,840 --> 01:00:15,840
This very hour, we pray that you
would infuse life. 

946
01:00:17,160 --> 01:00:21,280
Into our hearts that we would 
rise above these things and that

947
01:00:21,280 --> 01:00:26,000
we would soar, knowing that you 
will vindicate us, that you will

948
01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:29,000
keep us, and that in the end, 
what matters the most is Your 

949
01:00:29,000 --> 01:00:34,640
word and what you ask of us, 
though we now will stand in 

950
01:00:34,640 --> 01:00:37,520
triumph, knowing that you have 
infused on us. 

951
01:00:37,520 --> 01:00:40,360
Truth. 
To endure another night. 

952
01:00:40,800 --> 01:00:43,320
And we pray that it would go 
beyond this evening that would 

953
01:00:43,320 --> 01:00:45,200
remain in us for the days to 
come. 

954
01:00:45,720 --> 01:00:48,640
In Christ's name we pray, Amen 
and Amen. 

955
01:00:50,200 --> 01:00:52,840
All right, soldiers of Christ, 
let's stand on this Friday 

956
01:00:52,840 --> 01:00:55,920
evening. 
Let's turn our attention to the 

957
01:00:55,920 --> 01:00:59,000
captain of our salvation and 
give him thanks for equipping us

958
01:00:59,360 --> 01:01:04,240
to wage war against the evil. 1 
He is a good God.