God’s Restart In My Life - Ezra 3:9-13

 

God’s Restart In My Life- Ezra 3:9-13

Background:

Title. The Book of Ezra is the story of God’s nation, Israel returning to Jerusalem and beginning the rebuilding of the Temple. In the Jewish Canon it and the book of Nehemiah are combined into one long book because their subject matter and setting are the same.

 Historical Background. The Book of Ezra is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel given through the prophet Jeremiah to bring them back after seventy years of captivity. God used three Persian kings, Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, to authorize the people’s return and even to furnish supplies and protection for the trips that would take place over the coming years. Zerubbabel, the governor, Joshua, the high priest, Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets and Ezra the historian lead the people back and begin the building of the second Temple where God’s people could once again worship their God as He had commanded them.

As the scene opens in Ezra 1, the Jews have just seen the overthrow of the hated Neo-Babylonian Empire, in 539 B.C., by Cyrus the Persian. And Daniel has just been put into a place of honor by Darius the Mede, whom Cyrus appointed to rule over the Neo-Babylonian territories - Charles F. Pfeiffer, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary: Old Testament,

Timeline - More than a century before, the Prophet Isaiah had warned the Jews that the people of Judah would be taken captive by Babylon and punished for their sins and his prophecy was fulfilled. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar deported the royal family and took the temple vessels to Babylon. In 597, he sent into exile 7,000 “men of might” and a thousand craftsmen and in 586, he destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and exiled the rest of the Jews in Babylon, except for “the poor of the land.”

In 538, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, conqueror of Babylon, issued a decree that permitted the exiled Jews to return to their land and rebuild their temple.

For at least forty years, the Prophet Jeremiah had warned the leaders of Judah that the Babylonian exile was inevitable and he pled with them to repent of their sins and surrender to Babylon. Only then could they save the city and the temple from ruin. The leaders didn’t listen, in fact, they called Jeremiah a traitor, and the Holy City and the temple were destroyed in 587–586. - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Heroic, “Be” Commentary Series,

Ezra 1:1 begins immediately after 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ²³ Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

Introduction:

Preaching through the Bible chronologically, has brought us from the creation of the earth, to the creation of Israel, from the exodus of Israel from Egypt, to the conquering of Canaan, from the battles of David to the founding of Jerusalem as his capital. But then we move from the heights of David and Solomon to the depths of Isarel unfaithful Kings, from a civil war that divide the tribes to the captivity and expulsion of Israel from the Promised land.

Today begin the next chapter in the history of God people. Today God begins to return his people to the land He had promised. Few things in history show us the veracity and truth of the Bible more than the continued existence of Israel in the land of Israel. If they had been just another tribe, then we would never have heard of them much less still be praying for them today as they continue to fight for the land God gave them. God’s word is true and Israel is proof.

In Ezra the story of Israel’s restart is told. Now go with me to chapter 3.

Praise For The New Start - Ezra 3:8-11

Praise For The Temple Rebuilt

They have a worship service, a celebration and lay the foundation of the 2^nd Temple.

Imagine this day. Jeshua, Kadmiel and Henadad are set before the people as the men who would begin this great work. These are the Levites who would begin the work and care for the Temple. In the Temple of Solomon there had been 24,000 Levites to oversee the work but now there were only 341 that had returned.

As the Levites lay the first stones, others in their Temple apparel blow the trumpets and the choir, the Sons of Asaph, and an orchestra begin to praise the Lord.

They sang together by course, they took turns singing from one section of the choir to another. We even know the song they sang that day. 

Psalms 136:1-9 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
² O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
⁴ To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
⁵ To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
⁶ To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
⁷ To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
⁸ The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

The Psalms continues this way to 26 and ends with, “O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Praise for God’s Restarts of Our Lives

I would have loved to hear that shout, love to hear that praise.  They were so joyous at the prospect of God's work going forward. So joyous that God’s promises had been fulfilled and they were a part of the plan and prophecy of God.

Shouldn’t we also have that same king of joy? We should sing our praise with the same kind of motivation because God's work is still going forward, by the promise of our Lord and we are a part of that plan for the Church of Jesus Christ.

How many in Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel’s time must have thought that God had abandoned His people. How many may have given up hope and just become a part of the culture around them.

It was a dark time, a black time, a time that seemed to have no light for them to see a way out. But 70 years later the people returned and the Temple work was begun. Soon we’ll be in the book of Nehemiah and under that great man the wall of Jerusalem will be rebuilt.

God had not abandoned them, he was only purifying them, strengthening them and consecrating them for a restart.

And in the darkness of our own days, I am so glad that God has not abandoned us. The promises he gave the prophets then were true and the promises He has given us today are just as true.

Just as God’s mercy endures forever, so also His word endures forever. Psalms 119:89-92 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. ⁹⁰ Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.  ⁹¹ They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants. ⁹² Unless thy law had been my delights,I should then have perished in mine affliction.

For us the Lord has commanded and promised in Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And what God has promised and commanded, he will also supply, just as He did for the restart of the Temple. He has given us willing people, he has given us a place and he has given us a wonderful purpose.

Oh yes, we need to praise God and shout for joy, because God’s work is going forward at Calvary Baptist Church. It can be a bit overwhelming; it can be a bit chaotic, it can even be a bit contentious, but most of all it should be joyful and it should be thankful to that God in his mercy is still willing to use us.

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!"

You know the Lord shouldn’t have to hit someone in the head for all of us to praise Him for using our church preach the Gospel and reach our community.

Tears For The Past Work - Ezra 3:12

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:

The Ancient Men Wept

Not all praised God and shouted for joy that day. For there were some who were there who remembered the Great Temple of Solomon. Many years had passed but they still remembered the glory of Solomon's Temple. How could they forget such a magnificent structure?

The old Temple was three times higher and four times larger than what was going to be built under Zerubbabel and Joshua. Solomon was one of the greatest kings of the east, Zerubbabel was only a governor under the authority of Cyrus.

They did not sing this day when the foundation was laid, they wept over what was past over what had been lost.

When the temple was nearly finished God spoke to them through the prophet in Haggai 2:2-5 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, 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.

 Who can blame them for remembering? But God’s message is this. Those who were weeping and looking only back at the past had missed the truth behind the Temple itself. It wasn't about 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 and made it His Temple.

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 interruptions that they would face.

You Can’t Go On if You keep Looking Back.

Used to be a song LeeOra and I listened to, so long ago it was on a cassette tape.  If you don’t know what that is then you missed one of the joys of music, back in the day. Especially as the tape go old and come unwound and then tangled inside your car cassette player. What joy, that was. But one of the lyrics in that song has stuck in my head, "You can't drive straight ahead, while looking in the rear view mirror."

It’s true in driving, its true in the church, true in our families and its true in our lives as children of God. You can't go forward to what God has in store, if you’re looking backward at what was left behind.

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 to those He had called to serve the cause of the Gospel, “You aren’t going to be fit for service if you keep looking back.  

You can't rebuild a temple, relaunch a church or restart your life by building on memories of the past. Good memories or bad memories aren’t fuel for moving forward. The power to move forward comes from the promises of God for the future. You build on the faithfulness of God's people. You build on sacrifice, on service and on supplication. And then you can restart once, twice or a hundred times if necessary, because God will never run out of mercy and His word will never run out of power.

New Building

Looking backward instead of going forward is kind of like the church that decided to build a new building. So, the building committee go together and  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.

When we need a restart, in any area of our life or church, we have to step out of the past whether good or bad and step into the future trusting the Lord for every step we take.

Noise Hear Afar Off - Ezra 3:13

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 Past Couldn’t Overcome The Future

The ancient men wept because the remembered the past, the wept because they had lost so much by their failures in the past, but their weeping could not overwhelm the joy for the future that had begun that day.

The final result that day was a Noise heard afar off. The sounds of praise and joy echoed from the hills and through the valleys of Judah that day because by God’s promise and power they had restarted their nation. It was not the tears that predominated that day but it was the praise to God for what was begun again.

Ezra 3:13 the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Tears or Joy Depend On the Direction I’m Looking

Those who looked back suffer the loss of their joy but those who looked forward shouted out in praise and joy. I can be in danger of this. Looking back at what was, what might have been. Looking back at what has been lost and what never was.

If I do this, then I risk my joy in the Lord’s promises of the future. It has been said that the past should be a rudder to guide us, but not an anchor to stop us. Thank God for the past He has given us, but praise Him for the future He has promised us.

Zerubbabel and Ezra never built a temple as great as Solomon's. That wasn't what God called them to do. He called them to carry on the work, He called them to go keep going 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 that time and for the people of that time.

The same is true for us in our lives, our marriages, our church, our health, our circumstances and times we live in. We will never be able to restart the past, you can only restart if you are looking to the future.

What was it that C S Lewis said, “You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

That is one of the most joyful, hopeful and powerful aspects of Christianity. No matter what the past was and no matter how dark the present it, the future, by the power of God’s word and the renewing of His mercy, will always be shining bright.

Conclusion: The Greater Glory Awaits the Second Temple

When the Temple was restarted and years later when it was finally finished, those who compared it with the old, didn’t think it would ever be as glorious.

Yet in time, the glory of the second Temple actually would outshine even the Temple of Solomon. They couldn’t know this, but God knew it and he used those here in the book of Ezra to restart the work for that greater glory.

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.

It would be to the 2^nd Temple begun by those in Ezra’s time that Jesus would come.

The Messiah, Son of God would shake the nations, He would be the glory that would fill the House of God, He would be the One who would give pace in this place.

Who other than God could have known? And who other than God can know what He will do when we are will to trust Him in the restarts of our life. In the joyfulness of moving forward, in the faithfulness of trusting His word as we step into the future with Him.