Thanksgiving: Thankful for Today
Ezra 3:9-13
Introduction:
Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest said, “Thank
God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but
it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth.”
When we look at the book of Ezra and the task that God gave
him and his contemporaries we can see the kind of thing Chambers was talking
about.
In 538 BC Cyrus the King of the Persian Empire gave and
edict that the conquered people who had been deported from their homeland by
the Babylonian conquest could go back to their homelands. For Israel this mean
that 70 years of exile would now end. Around 40 to 50 thousand people began the
4-month trek that would lead them home. The return of the nation takes place
under the leadership of several key men, Zerubbabel a descendant of David the
King and Joshua the high priest a descendant of Aaron who led the first return.
God then calls Haggai and Zechariah as prophets to encourage the people and
spur them on to return and rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem. Then about 80
years later Ezra the scribe continued the work and finished the Temple and
finally after another 14 years Nehemiah returned to finish the wall. It took 94
years to complete the work of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple from the time
that Israel was allowed to return home, a difficult work indeed.
And God still calls us to difficult works today. He calls us
over the days, week and years. If we believe His Word and His promises then He
is calling us over eternity itself. It is a difficult work and it will have
many hinderances but as Oswald Chambers said, “Thank God He does give us
difficult things to do!” It is an affirmation of His power and His trust in us
that he does.
As we go to Ezra chapter 3 we can see how the work God gave
Zerubbabel begins and we can see a pattern for us to begin great and difficult
things for God.
Preparing to Proceed Ezra 3:1-7
And when the seventh month was come, and the children of
Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man
to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the
priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the
altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written
in the law of Moses the man of God. And
they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people
of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD,
even burnt offerings morning and evening. They kept also the feast of
tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number,
according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; And afterward
offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set
feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly
offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. From the first day of the seventh
month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of
the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. They gave money also unto the masons,
and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to
them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according
to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
The People Prepare for the Work
Under the leadership of Zerubabbel, Joshua and Ezra the
people come together and begin to gather the resources both physical and
spiritual to lay the foundation of the Temple of God.
They come together in unity. Vs 1-2
They build the altar and then sacrifice vs. 3
They keep the feasts and rituals. Vs 4- 6
They gave money to rebuild the temple Vs. 7
Before the first stone was laid the people of Israel
prepared their hearts and their hopes. They come together as one, they
worshipped as one, the celebrated the feasts as one and they gave to the Lord’s
work as one people united in a great task for the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
Prepped to Serve and Build
We as God’s people in this day and time, in Calvary Baptist
Church, in Athens, Texas 2017 need to be making preparation for God’s work.
We are not building a Temple of dead stone but one of living
stones as Peter calls the church. Paul says the church is a habitation of God. Is
we are to build with the living stones of people and be a fit habitation for
God then like the people of Ezra 3 we need to be united in purpose, united in
worship, united in celebration and united in our giving.
We won’t see a new foundation laid for God’s glory unless we
prepare our hearts both spiritually and physically. Many times, the reason why
our best efforts and intentions fail in serving God is because we did not
prepare ourselves before we tried to build.
Illustration: Jesus Illustration of Counting the Cost
This is what Jesus warned about in Luke 14
Luke 14: 28-30 For
which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth
the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath
laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to
mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
The cost for us succeeding in this difficult work is the
preparation of ourselves as a united, sacrificing, worshipping, giving church
of Jesus Christ. If we are willing to make that preparation, count that cost
then we can do a good work for the Lord and be thankful for today.
Tansition
From preparing for the work we then move to praising God for
a new beginning on an old foundation.
Praise for a New Work Begun Ezra 3:8-11
Now in the second
year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month,
began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the
remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were
come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from
twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD. Then
stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of
Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of
Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. And when the builders
laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their
apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise
the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising
and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for
ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they
praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
The People Praise God
As they laid the first foundation stone, for after 70 years
of exile, they had begun the work of rebuilding the destroyed Temple of God.
Imagine this pageantry of the day.
Joshua, Kadmiel and Henadad are set before the people as the
men who would begin this great work.
As they lay the first stones of the new foundation, the
priests in their full priestly apparel blow the trumpets and the Levites and
the Sons of Asaph acting as a choir and orchestra begin to praise the Lord.
They sang together by course, this means they take took
turns singing from one section of the choir to another. We even know the song
they sang that day.
Psalm 136:1-8 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his
mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks
to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his
mercy endureth for ever. To him that by
wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that stretched out the earth above the
waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy
endureth for ever: The moon and stars to
rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
All the people shouted with a great shout because the
foundation of the house of the Lord was laid again and the task of rebuilding
the Temple of God had begun.
Praising and Working Today.
I would have loved to hear that shout, love to hear that
praise in Ezra’s time. The people after
70 years of exile had returned and now were joyous at the prospect of God's people
having a place to worship again.
Don’t you think we should have that same joy? That we should
sing our praises with that same motivation because God's work is still going
forward today in our church and through our people.
I thank God because he has not abandoned us. I praise Him this day because just as they
did in the days of Ezra. God has brought together people today to serve and to
build here and that is a truth worth celebrating.
Zerubbabel, Ezra, Joshua, and all the others could have
stayed in Babylon, they could have used their talents and abilities to further
their own work but instead they dedicated themselves to the work of God in
Jerusalem.
God, whose mercy endures forever, has laid it upon the
hearts of us, his people today to continue the work here at Calvary Baptist,
Athens, Texas. Your abilities, talents and experience could have been used for yourselves
someplace else but God has placed you here and for that you and I should be thankful.
God has seen to it that we have what He knows we need to
build the work. I'm thankful today for what God has provided. He has given us people, he has given us a
place and he has given us a purpose.
Praise God and Shout for Joy, God’s work is going forward
and believe it or not He is going to use me and you to do it and that may
surprise us both. Kind of like the story of ….
Illustration: Hit em again Lord.
A church was really needing to start a remodeling project,
but had not been successful in the past. The auditorium was really in bad shape
needing paint, pews, plaster and much more. The Pastor preached his message and
then made his appeal, "Which of you will now make a pledge to start this
great work?" For what seemed like a
long time no one stood, finally one of the stingiest but richest man in the community
stood and said, "I pledge $100 to the remodel." It wasn't much and it
could have been more but it was a start and the pastor said to the assembly,
"And the people said…." The people responded with a hearty,
"Amen!" As they said it a
piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and struck the man right on the
head. He smiled and said, "Pastor I
guess I better pledge $500." The people needed to prompt from the pastor
they let out a much louder amen and a few glories as well. Now a slightly larger piece of plaster fell
and again struck the man on the head. He
appeared a little perplexed and now without smiling said, "Pastor, I
better make that a thousand dollars." Just then one of the deacons jumped
up and cried out, "Hit 'em again, Lord. Hit 'em again!"
Transition:
The Lord may have to hit us a few times to get us on track
and that’s okay. I’ll just keeping on going as long as the Lord keep reminding
me.
There is one other aspect of this day of praise and
thankfulness we see in Ezra 3, turn to verse 12
Pining for An Old Work Remembered Ezra 3:12-13
But many of the
priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had
seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their
eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the
people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the
weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise
was heard afar off.
The Ancient Men Weep In their Memory
Not all praised God and shouted for joy that day.
There were some who were there who remembered the Great
Temple of Solomon. Fifty years had passed
but they could still see the glory of Solomon's great temple.
It was built with all of Solomon’s wealth and wisdom at the
height of Israel’s political and military power. It was three times higher and
four times larger than what was going to be built under Zerubbabel. It had more
gold, more silver more bronze and it had the Ark of the Covenant that was not
lost. Those who remembered the old temple did not sing this day,
they wept over what was past and over what had been lost.
To encourage the people Haggai, the prophet of God who was a
contemporary Zerubbabel wrote a sermon of comfort from God to the people. We
find it in Haggai 2:2-5 Look what God says to them.
Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue
of the people, saying, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first
glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as
nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O
Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the
land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so
my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
Those weeping had missed the truth behind the Temple. It
wasn't the king who had built it, it wasn't the grandeur and the beauty of the
building that made it great. It was the God, who dwelt there, that made it
great. It wasn't Zerubbabel or Solomon or Ezra but God who filled the temple
with his glory. It was God who called for this work to go on. It was God who would see it though the
difficulties and obstacles they would face.
You can't build for the future on memories of the past
I always remember a lyric in a song from a small blue grass
church band, I remember it because it struck me as so irrefutable. It simple
said, "You can't drive straight ahead, while looking in the rear-view
mirror."
It’s true in driving, it’s true in our lives and it’s true
in the church, we can't go forward if we're looking over our shoulder at what
is behind us.
Scripture: Want to hear one of the toughest verses in the
Bible? Look at Luke 9:62, “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”
Jesus says,
"It's not right, not fitting for someone who has committed themselves to
serve God to keep looking over their shoulder at what is behind you.
You can't build a temple or a church on the memories of the
past. You build on the promises of God for the future. You build on the
faithfulness of God's people. You build on the sacrifice and service of those
who are looking forward to what God has yet to do.
Illustration: New Building
A certain
congregation was about to erect a new church edifice. The building committee,
in consecutive meetings, passed the following resolutions:
1. We shall build a new church.
2. The new building is to be located on the site of the old
one.
3. The material in the old building is to be used in the new
one.
4. We shall continue to use the old building until the new
one is completed. - Bob Phillips, Good Clean Jokes, Harvest House, 1992, p. 55.
Conclusion: The Greater Glory Awaits the Second Temple
Zerubbabel and Ezra never built a temple as great as
Solomon's, but that was okay because God
called hadn’t called them to do that.He called them to carry on the work. He called them to go
forward.It wasn't the same temple because it wasn't the same king,
the same times or even the same people.
God called for a temple he could use in the times of the people now.
Nor did God place us here to rebuild the past. We couldn't if we wanted to because it’s not the same
pastor, not the same people, not the same times nor even the same
community. All these things have
changed, and God needs a church and a people He can use in the times that they
live now!
I want this church to be the church God wants and can use
today.
That sermon from the prophet Haggai, had a great conclusion. He told them that there was a much great glory awaiting the
second temple.
Haggai 2:6-9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it
is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea,
and the dry land;7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations
shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.8
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.9 The glory
of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of
hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
When the work was renewed some of the old men wept. Yet in
just about 500 years the glory of the second temple would far outshine that of
the first in the most important event in all of history. You see Jesus didn’t
come to Solomon’s Temple, the desire of all nations, come to the rebuilt Temple
of Zerubbabel.
We don’t know what God might bring to our church in our time
or in years to come but I want to be prepared, I want to be praising,
worshipping, giving and expecting because if we are faithful in our service then
God will bring the glory.
Let us be thankful for this day at Calvary Baptist Church November
19th, 2017 for God is still using us to do difficult things.
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