Ezra

·        Then we finally get to the book of EZRA which is actually a part of the next book NEHEMIAH. In the Hebrew Bible Ezra and Nehemiah are one book.

·        These 2 books make up the account of the 3 times the exiled Jews attempted to repair the Temple in Jerusalem and repopulate the Holy city - JERSUALEM.

·        It is a story we can parallel with our walk with God in these days ...so if you can, try to do that as we look at the story of the Jews who really struggled at times in their walk with God.

·         So it was 70 years since the Jews had been taken into captivity and the land had been desolate.

·         Then around that time a King named Cyrus came into power.

·         The work was initiated by God stirring King Cyrus's heart prompting him to write a letter and send it throughout his Kingdom.

·         Read EZRA 1:1-7 SLIDE

·         The first attempt at the rebuild was made by a man named, ZERUBBABEL..

·         Jews were stirred up and excited and after gathering 42,360 exiles and 7337 servants 200 singers 736 horses 245 mules 435 camels and 6720 donkeys.

·         Then 61000 gold coins 6250 pounds of silver and 100 robes for the priests they settled in the villages near Jerusalem.

·         They were afraid of the local residents but they were given time to settle.

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·         Then the first job they attended to was rebuilding the altar:

o   The Altar represents a part of ourselves in our walk with God.

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o   When we first come to God what is the first thing he asks of us? To give ourselves to Him...

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Ø  It says in 1 Corinthians: 6:19

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.

Ø  So if our body is the Temple...what is the altar?

o   OUR MIND

Let me show you a diagram to illustrate: SLIDE

The Temple (like our bodies) is made up of many "compartments". In the times of Ezra these innermost storage chambers of Solomon's Temple were supposed to be used for storing the priests' worship items for the Holy Place.  However, it was here that the priests actually stored their own personal idolatrous items, thinking that since these chambers were hidden and out of sight, no one would see and no one would know.

So to compare to this to ourselves - if our bodies are the Temple - the secret recesses of Solomon's Temple correspond to the innermost, hidden part of our own souls - the place where we hide and bury our hurts, our wounds, our painful memories, thinking that no one will see and no one will know. 

When we come to God we are full of painful experiences and wounds... I believe God wants these hidden chambers (this innermost part), in His perfect timing and in His perfect way, to be cleansed, healed and then filled with the knowledge of the Truth.  Then we will be able to genuinely walk in the Fear of God and not the fear of man.  

God wants to show us the things in our hidden chambers, so that we can "see" and understand what exactly it is that we need to give over to Him.  Again, it's impossible to give things to Him, if we don't understand what exactly they are.

This is where rebuilding the ALTAR comes in: our mind is the ALTAR

You must be willing to bring these things up and into your mind to be able to lay them on the Altar. If your ALTAR is broken you will be unable to lay your sin on it.

The second part of Romans 12 (2) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. We need our minds or our ALTARS to be in working order in ready obedience to Christ before any transformation to take place.

The fact that we are all sitting here in church listening and continuing in fellowship with other Christians shows an outward expression of a ready and willing altar.

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·         Zerubbabel realised this so he rebuilt the ALTAR before they began laying the Foundation of the Temple. SO BACK TO THE STORY...

·         The Temple reconstruction began in the 2nd year after they arrived there.

·         All the materials were bought and everyone got to work and soon after the foundation had been laid.

·        The older Jews who remember the first temple before the exile wept with joy and the younger Jews celebrated loudly upon the completion of the foundation.

·        SLIDE It say's "the joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud commotion that could be heard far in the distance!".

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·         Soon after the foundation had been finished the Jews encountered their first opposition. They were people who were against the rebuilding of the Temple.

·         First they tried to trick Zerubbabel and the other leaders into allowing them to build with them - with the intention of mucking things up. But the leaders would not allow them.

·         Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.

·         Then they bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their work.

·         This went on for the entire reign of King Cyrus through the time of King Xerxes and King Artaxerxes  until the next King Darius took the throne.

·         LETTERS TO THE KINGS AND THE ENEMIES OF THE TEMPLE WORK

·         Read EZ 4:6-23

·         After a 20 year struggle with their enemies, The Temple work ceased.

o   You see how you will encounter enemies when you try to turn your life around for God. You will come up against strong opposition and they will be ruthless. It has been like this for Gods people forever.

·         Several years later In chapter 5 you see the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesy and in response, Zerubbabel begins the task of rebuilding once again. In spite of what the King may say.

·         But once again the enemies saw the work being started up and confronted them again, the asked, "Who gave you permission to rebuild this temple?" and they wanted a list of names of all the people helping.

·         But read in verse 5 SLIDE - But because their God was watching over them, they were not prevented from building... until a report was sent to King Darius and he returned a decision.

·         READ EZRA 5:6 -11

·         Note the answer the enemies quote to the King; V11

o   You must remember your identity when your enemy wants to know who you think you are!

·         Read EZ 6:1-7

·         Notice what the orders were to Tattenai - "Stay away from there! Do not disturb the construction!"

o   God will order the enemy to STAY AWAY from us if we respond with the correct identity.

·         The Temple was completed on the 12th of March, it was dedicated with great joy.

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Ø  Now 80 years after this a man named EZRA comes into the picture.

Ø  Ezra was a very intelligent man who loved God and knew the books of the law.

Ø  I would say this means that he made the correct sacrifices and lived a holy lifestyle. You could say his ALTAR was intact.

Ø  NEXT SLIDE: It says that Ezra was a scribe, well versed in the law of Moses, which the Lord had given the people of Israel. Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the Lord and to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel.

Ø  The King writes Ezra a letter NEXT SIDE Chapter 7:13-26

Ø  So about 80 years after the rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel Ezra returned to Judah with about 2000 men and their families. He was given that letter from the King and commissioned to carry out religious instruction. The letter gave him significant power but it is Ezra's priorities we should take note of:

o   NEXT SLIDE: First Ezra had decided when he was young to dedicate himself to carefully studying Gods word.

o   Second, he intended to apply and obey - personally the commands he discovered in God's word.

o   And thirdly, he was committed to teaching others God's Word and its application to life.

Ø  So he arrives in Jerusalem with a whole bunch of people and stuff (again)... and what does he find?

Ø  Chapter 9

Ø  So what does Ezra do? verse 3

o   This verse was very significant to me, because I have been here quite a few times with myself. .... TESTIMONY?

Ø  Then we see the people come to their senses AGAIN and the people go on to tell Ezra they are willing to fully cooperate with him to make things right again.

Ø  READ 10:11-13 Ezra instructed them what to do to make things right

Ø  but then the people point out that this "making things right" was not going to be able to happen in a day.

Ø  And it says that it took from December the 29th to March the 27th the next year to get things back in some order again. Then it lists all the priests who had married pagan wives and the Levites who were guilty and the one singer who was guilty and the 3 gatekeepers who were guilty and all the other people of Israel who were guilty after them.

Ø  And the book ends with "Each of these men had a pagan wife, and some even had children by these wives."

Ø  Then there was another 70 years before Nehemiah came on the scene...

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I think the last point I want to make is that it will take time... probably a long time for restoration to happen. It will be happening little by little  as you are willing to bring the hidden things out of the chambers and present them on the altar... and be encouraged that the Israelites continued to muck up but notice that God didn't reject them when they came back to Him. Remember that.