Opposition on the Road to Restoration of Worship

Breaches of the Church

Over the last few weeks I have had conversations with incredible leaders of the body of Christ. These men and women have in the past exhibited incredible perseverance in the face of adversity.

I am saddened to state that in these conversations I have not heard the voice of men and women who once burned with zeal to serve the Lord ready to continue. Instead what I heard was the voice of defeat. In their words almost across the board was “Mike I am done.”

Crushed as I was to hear the words I was made aware of what remains at stake…

Today the walls of the church proper contain breaches that are in desperate need of repair. There have been those who have attempted to begin the costly work of repair only to find themselves burned by a religious institution that has many of us scratching our heads wondering how long before the walls will be repaired.

This work of repairing the breaches is mentioned 16 times in the Old Testament; sometimes it is referenced as people who begun the work and were deterred, sometimes it is referenced as people who started well and ended up distracted, still other times it is referenced when the people began the work and were given over to the things of this world.

There are three instances where the Lord stated He will raise up those who are charged with the work of repairing the breaches, they will be known as His Priests, and He will cause them to restore the temple walls.

Today we are a generation that is called to the work of restoring the breaches to the wall. What is true is we cannot continue as we once were but as His priests repair that which is broken to see the worship of our God restored.

The road to restoration is guided by the Holy Spirit and has been marked out for us even against all opposition.

The road to restoring worship to the Lord is met with opposition, but the Lord’s hand goes before us as we repair the breaches.

Ezra 4:1–2 ESV

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”

Samaritans ask to Help

they helped with building the altar

they never stopped offering

they didnt know this God just followed tradition

identified as adversaries to the exiles.

these people look like, act like, and may even be seen preserving the old ways. stuck in the old traditional

They were present when the altar was erected

there are times when some seem to close to what is true

they look like, act like, talk like

YOUR GOD,

We copy what you do, we want what you have,

The exiles went from building an altar to building the walls and this is where the trouble begins

Ezra 4:3 ESV

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

It is the “fathers” that must use discernment to ensure those who do not want to align with the genuine do not partake in the work.

They realized how different they were called to be

How hard must it have been for them to go against the normal? to go against an established system?

The road to restoration will evidence moments that mark us and leave us wondering if we did the right thing

Opposition in the Building

Ezra 4:4–6 ESV

Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

Discouragement, Fear, Accused

Those who offered help now turned on the exiles

The old system in place began to work against them

Do what it takes to scare and discourage them

Through this point the people of the land caused them to fear

Notice what length they went through to cause the temple building to come to a full stop.

Bribed counselors to frustrate their purpose

Accusations raised against them…

Opposition will be fierce and will cause a sentiment of defeat

for those sitting in the feeling defeat this is where the enemy wants you

Ezra 4:14 ESV

Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king,

they will say whatever has to be said

sound like they are doing it for the betterment but are really trying to simply stop the effort

v.24 they stopped…the work ceased

today we see a church that has stopped growing… it vacillates between being the church and pragmatism

we have churches where the power of the Lord appears to have ceased altogether. (out of fear, out of doubt, out of discouragment)

Standing Against the Opposition

Ezra 5:1–2 ESV

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Look at how the various parts of the body operate to continue

Prophets speak what God wants

Priests take action

The prophets today continue to speak, fear strikes at their core when the body doesnt move… almost as if we dont believe God speaks through them

When the five fold listens who can stop them?

even when faced by governors and principalities

Ezra 5:5 ESV

But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

It no longer mattered what those surrounding them said they knew who it was that commissioned them.

This is our challenge today will we rise to the occasion or do we collapse and just say “I’m done”

Ezra 6:14 ESV

And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia;

The work of building cannot cease

the work of the prophets cannot cease

There is a work that is being done today and we are the generation that will complete it

Repairing the Breaches by Restoring Right Worship

Isaiah 61:1–4 ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

Read on will find these who are repairing the breaches are the Priests of the Lord, the MInisters of God

Look at your assignment as you bring right worship back to the house of the Lord

Bring the good news

Bind up the broken hearted

deliver the captive

Proclaim the year of the Lord’s Favor

and the Day of the vegance of God

goes into more but raises the garmnet of praise instead of a faint spirit…

the devil wants you to feel defeated… done… but in this change of garment our tired fainting spirit is made new.... are you in need of a greater infilling? are you tired? do you need to be lifted up?