11-5-23 Kasey Campbell: Starting Small

 Today, I am leaving 1 Corinthians for a bit. I want to follow up a little on what Espi preached. She talked about having eyes to see the new things that God is doing in us and through us. She shared that our faith, our denomination, and everything we do will have staying power; it will move forward, and it will contain a legacy and a posterity as long it rests solidly and fully on the word of God. Matthew 24:35 NKJV Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. No matter how nice, how beautiful, or how stunning the things of this world might be, they're passing. But the truth of God's word is permanent. His faithful lasts forever, He keeps His promises forever, and He does not change through the seasons, the years, or the ages. God's word contains an immovable and unshakable hope. And we have hope and a future from the Lord, no matter how old we are or what circumstances we find ourselves in. And it's important to remember that God has a 'next' thing for us. He has a ministry (ministry is overflow) for us to walk in, and He has good things to pour into us and through us. And just like Noah had faith in what God said, even though He didn't know what it looked like exactly, we are called to listen to God's voice and follow Him in faith in what He is calling us to do. And I want to say that the work God has for us to do might not be something physical. Maybe it's serving out in the community, sure. But maybe for you, it's something spiritual that you need to grow in or deal with. It may be something relational God is calling you to build. There is a lot of diversity in God's kingdom and His kingdom calling to each one of us. Remember 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 NKJV There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And so today, I want to talk about the simple act of starting the work in our hearts with the Lord. By that, I mean that sometimes, we don't know where to begin. We're unsure of how to grow in certain areas with the Lord or how to move forward into something new. Many of us, when we ask God to help us or grow us in some area, tend to pray a prayer and then sit down and wait for His answer to drop out of the sky, moving us forward automatically. We tend to think that if God is going to answer our prayer, then we'll just wake up one day and see our shiny new 'miracle' or 'change' sitting there on the front lawn. Now, of course, we know that God can and does answer many prayers in a miraculous, instantaneous way. I'm not putting that down by any means - it's super nice when He does that. But those instant answers are typically an exception to the way God builds great things into our lives and how He grows us into great heroes of the faith. So today, I want to take a look at a chapter in the book of Ezra to see how to start building and how to start moving forward in a new way with the Lord. Let's pray before we jump in. PRAY. So, before I read this passage, I want you to know that the book of Ezra has to do with how God started to restore the nation of Judah after all of the cities were destroyed, and many of the people were taken captive in Babylon for 70 years. As we read this book, we're watching God rebuild people who were devastated in a lot of different ways and begin to start over. And Ezra is the perfect person to help them start over. His name means 'my helper,' or 'God is my helper.' He was a priest and a scribe. He loved God wholeheartedly and followed Him unashamedly. It's likely that the Pharisees got started because they followed Ezra and wanted to be set apart for God, following all of His laws and commandments so Israel and Judah would be blessed. Though we've been separated from these people for thousands of years, human nature hasn't changed. Neither has God. Some of the steps they had to take to rebuild their lives are still the same steps we need to follow that release God's new beginnings for us today. So let's take a look at Ezra 3:1-13 NKJV And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. 4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the number required by ordinance for each day. 5 Afterwards they offered the regular burnt offering, and those for New Moons and for all the appointed feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, although the foundation of the temple of the Lord had not been laid. 7 They also gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia. 8 Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites. 10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel." Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, 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 sound was heard afar off. One lesson we can learn about releasing God's new beginning in our lives has to do with forgiveness and worship. The first thing God establishes is a regular pattern of forgiveness and worship. Forgiveness, repentance, or asking God to cover our sins by the blood is symbolized by the burnt offerings on the altar. Ezra 3:3 NKJV Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings. Through fear, depression, doubt, or other circumstances, the people made an altar and offered burnt offerings. The burnt offering symbolized forgiveness of sin. It was made to restore the relationship with God and to atone for sin. Jesus' work on the cross is where our sin is atoned for. So whenever you're afraid, lonely, depressed, or you feel like you can't move forward, you can come to the foot of the cross and partake of His blood. Communion is a powerful release of God's power. It's a celebration of God's victory; it's a proclamation of redemption. It's a declaration of dependence on God, a provision of healing, and a time of self-examination. And as we receive God's forgiveness, we choose to walk in the spirit of forgiveness towards those who have hurt us. Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. The forgiveness of sin freely given to us in Jesus, through His atoning death and justifying work, opens a fountain of grace that flows to us like a river without measure. That river of grace is a call to us saying, Matthew 10:8 AMP Freely you have received, freely give. And if we ignore this call to forgive others, we'll experience blockages, bondages, and the ultimate withering of our soul unto smallness and bitterness. God also had the people establish a regular pattern of worship. That is symbolized by the temple. The temple is where God's presence rested and where people came to give Him praise, worship, honor, and be near Him. Ezra 3:10-11 NKJV When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: "For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel." Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. Audible worship and praise, both privately and publicly, is hugely important. It helps establish God's rule and reign in our lives and circumstances. Worship is the ultimate priority for every believer, not only because God is worthy of our worship, but also because it is His designed way to arrange His entry into our personal world. Worship opens a doorway to God's supernatural presence and power as the governing influence over our lives. Worship is also the pathway to prayer. So, God establishes a regular pattern of forgiveness (the altar) and worship (the temple) as the starting point for moving His people forward. Another important lesson is that it doesn't matter how little you start with. It only matters that you start with God. The people in Ezra's day were starting with a big mess. The Temple was in ruins. And God says, 'Be strong and move forward in what I'm telling you to do, and I will move mightily. Haggai 2:3-9 NLT 'Does anyone remember this house-this Temple-in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! 4 But now the LORD says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. 5 My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.' 6 "For this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. 9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!" God says that He's put His Holy Spirit in you and me, just as Jesus promised He would. And now, as we choose to worship Him, as we choose to follow Him in obedience, He says He will fill this place with His glory. He will come and move on our behalf. I want you to know that God always asks us to do things that are impossible unless he does a miracle. When we're waiting for that miracle to come, we can grow tired and forget how powerful He is. But if we keep nurturing God's promises in our hearts, we'll see His miracles arrive and then have the faith to move forward through even greater challenges. So it doesn't matter how little we start with; it only matters that we start with God. And as we do that, don't look backward. Don't look back at what used to be and compare it to where you are. Ezra 3:12 GW But many of the priests, Levites, and the heads of the families who were old enough to have seen the first temple with their own eyes began to sob when they saw the foundation of this temple. Remember how the Israelites used to complain in the wilderness? They were comparing all of the 'comforts,' they had in Egypt to the hardships they faced in the desert. But it wasn't a fair comparison, first of all, because they were slaves in Egypt! Of course, we can look back at certain seasons in our lives fondly. That's OK, and there are good memories to look back on in gratitude. But don't try to compare what God was doing then to what He is doing now, because He is always the God of new beginnings and new movements and new life. Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. Don't look back and compare what used to be with where you are now. Let the resources, guidance, and miracles we will need for building flow from our relationship with God now. We call this the Mary Model, which means that we sit at Jesus' feet and let the spiritual power we need flow from Him. Hearing God's voice, listening to His will, operating in obedience to His way, and letting Him set the pace and vision are critical for fruitful kingdom-building. And we start with whatever we have; we come to Jesus, sit at His feet, and give it to Him. We build on what we have that is good as we receive back from Jesus' hands. John 6:5-12 NLT Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!" 8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 9 "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted." 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. When we choose to put what little we have into Jesus' hands in faith, He multiples it and turns it into ministry that feeds people, and builds them up. And though there are a lot of amazing lessons in this miracle, one thing to remember is that it was a test for Jesus' disciples. Jesus used that moment to test His disciples, which means He'll test us, too. He wanted His disciples to see how they responded. What would they do when following God gets them into a situation where the need far outweighs the resources available? Would they trust Him to provide or get overwhelmed and turn back? Those who pass this test move into a miraculous dimension, and what is accomplished through them is amazing and makes no human sense. Far more people are led to Jesus or receive His loving care than our limited human capacity should be able to produce. The results are unexplainable but undeniable. And everyone knows that God must have been involved. So the question is, what do we have, no matter how small, that others need? Don't give it to them; give it to Jesus. The miracles don't come from our generosity, our skill, or our knowledge. They come from Jesus' hands extended through us. The miracles happen when God blesses and breaks our gifts and hands them over to others. And that miraculous ministry doesn't have to run out as time passes; it keeps happening until everyone who is hungry eats, and everyone who is thirsty is able to drink. Psalm 107:9 NLT For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. And I'll end with these last two principles for building, or rebuilding, or moving forward into a new season. Join with others who are also building and moving forward. We call that being in community with those on mission with you and with Jesus. Ezra 3:9 NKJV Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites. The people are building with family. We need spiritual family in order to move forward. We weren't created to do any of this Christian life in isolation. And that's because we need godly, prophetic, and loving encouragement to keep us from being overwhelmed by the obstacles we face. Ezra 5:1-2 NKJV At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them. Encourage means to 'put courage into.' and let me tell you, when you're doing something for God, getting strengthened by brothers and sisters matters a lot. When we move forward for Jesus, it might seem overwhelming or hopeless. But it will succeed if God is with us and we don't quit. The Jews faced a lot of obstacles in rebuilding the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. They stopped working on the temple for 15 years. But God did more miracles, and they completed the temple. The finished job was so good that 550 years later, Jesus' disciples were making comments about how great it looked! Mark 13:1 ESV And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" One day, as you are faithful and obedient to Jesus, people will marvel at what God has done in and through you, too. (What area does God want to move me forward? What area in my heart does he want me to build in Him? What small first step can I take?) Starting to Build | 1