Rebuild Ezra/Nehemiah Intro English 1/12/25

Where to begin to study with a couple AIMS in mind but I want to ask you a question where are you going? Not a mean wife. If it's a logical you play heaven or hell like end of Revelation times. Like, where you going? I mean like, where are you going today? Where you going tomorrow? Where you going next week? Where are you going in the next few years? I think most of us were taught in an early 80s to have a 5 or 10 years old, have a plan. Where are we going to be in just a few short years? What that really is the same question as is, what is it? They and what is your business? What is your vision for? Where you are going? That's what the question. Where are you going? And it answers the question of what is your vision? And it also asked the questions, what could be

There's some very talented people in this room. There's almost Limitless opportunities for what could be both here in Green Bay and around the world. When it comes to you professionally, when it comes to U-Pull it occurs, when it comes to you, I can omikron when it comes to you spiritually. And you can ask yourself the question. What could be and an even better question may be what should be what should become of your life? What should the come of your family? What should become of all of the work in all of the effort that you're putting into life? What should eventually be? And if you can answer this question, what you're doing is casting a vision for yourself. Our vision in this church is to renew our community, removing the gospel. It's not just to go out and be. So it's not just to go out and do good things for other people. It's not just to make things around this church. Building a little m in. Tyler. It's to go out into the people around us and bring them. The gospel with can move through us.

That's our vision. That's where we want to go. Answer the questions. I want you to ask as we go through today, and if we go through this series, is our community where we want it to be. Is this church where we wanted to be? Am I where I want to be? If you answered any of those three questions is yes. Then you probably don't need to be. Because the answer to all three of those questions is almost always going to know. There's always going to be something that we want better, I could almost always be better. Something almost always should be better. And if we continue to strive That decision will be in accordance with God's plan and purpose problems. And that's really what the part of the book as your name is all about people who gone is assigned to work out his plan and his purpose for his people. The rebuild his people.

Remind me to drop us down in, Ezra Nehemiah. It's like one of those books kind of early in the Old Testament. It's a little disoriented because the very first verse says in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia in order to fill the word, Lord spoken to Jeremiah, if we took a random poll of this audience, probably could tell me a little bit about who Cyrus was with the Persian Empire was and who Jeremiah Was But that's not always true. If you, if you don't understand who this was and you can understand me Jeremiah Was new to this point of this story, you're going to be able to compete. Diego originally asked me to take like 5 minutes and give you a presentation. And as you all know, that's impossible.

But I want to drop it into the story and I want to talk about what came after and what came before we do the context of this morning, incredible story. Google me, Luke chapter 24 Jesus is appearing after he's resurrected to his disciples. He says, what a my hands and my feet that it is I myself touch me and see because a ghost does not have Flesh and Bones. As you can see, I have having said this, he showed them his hands and feet, but while they still were amazed and in disbelief, because of their joy and ask him.

So I gave him a piece of a boiled fish and he took it and ate it in the presents. He told him these are my words. I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets and the storms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. In the Hebrew Bible, in the scripture of Jesus day. There were really three parts and talk about this in our, how we got the Bible sub-series, but there was the law of Korra, then if the prophets and kept taking the writings, I need to see how the broken out differently than her in our English Bible today, but this would have been the way to structure of the first-century Old Testament. Scriptures were displayed and noticed. Jesus, say everything written about me in the prophets, in the song. Must be fulfilled Through the Bible at least, once in a year and I didn't see Jesus name anywhere in those books. But what are you saying? Is that all of those stories, all of us, Bible stories, you learn when you were my daughter. Sage all of those stories that you wanted when your nose ate. All of those stories at minimum were Whispering his name. What is the timeline of my favorite little children's Bible? The Jesus storybook Bible want to share some of the stories that include you before but me and Maya. I want you to remember and I want you to constantly be seeking and I want you to constantly be searching for. How is the story making us desire to come acrossed? Because Jesus said it's all about him. For the drop-in center the story. There's a bunch of different ways we can go. I can show you different timelines is the timeline that breaks down the various kingdoms, he can break down all of history through the various kingdoms. The first Kingdom being Creation The Garden of Eden and then there's the parish Kingdom after the fall. Bit kind of concludes with the Tower of Babel in after the Tower of Babel in the peoples languages have been corrupted in and messed up and I can't I can't understand what other than Vegas first. Then God comes to Abraham. He's promising a finger and then he's going to lead his people who haven't really been that faithful into Egypt and into slavery, and then he's going to send to deliver someone to come and bring them out of Egypt and take them to the promised to me. But when do you get to the promised land and they keep messing up, there's going to be a king who's going to come, and who's going to make everything, right? And the people demanded. The judges weren't good enough. We need a key. Establishes, his presence in Jerusalem with a king and a temple.

And then there's this divided Kingdom. There's the northern kingdom, which is 10 of the tribes and the southern Kingdom of Israel. He's Kingdom get divided and the 10 teams in the north get taken over by a Syrian, they taken into captivity. If you wanted yours later, the southern Kingdom meet the same fate to buy a different Empire from Babylon. And at least two kingdoms are going to eventually be rebuilt. What's the word?

Looking to be rebuilt and restored and renew into a present Kingdom. This thing to be proclaimed about until one day were in the perfect human. Do all history can be broken up. Pretty simply in a timeline about God's Kingdom.

Company broken up by God's covenant. I can explain to you and drop you into the story by pointing God kingdoms. Explain it through God's covenants and ultimately God's kingdom come through. God's Covenants. And you made multiple Covenant of promises, the people throughout the Hebrew, scripture starting really with Abraham. In Genesis chapter 12 in Genesis chapter, 15, God promises, the Abraham's descendants are going to be. As numerous as the Stars, he's going to come to the land of Canaan and it's through his offspring. All nations of the Earth are going to be blessed. God is setting out on a Reconciliation Mission and he's going to do it from Abraham and his descendants and the nation of Israel is born.

But Abraham at several lineages. Some of the Abraham's offspring have led to a different world religions. Is Hebrew scripture or a history book about the Israelite people. It's part of their story is that they go into slavery in Egypt. And when God delivers them out to those templates and they come through the Red Sea that they pass through, they are essentially baptized the new as God's people. When Moses comes back down to the Ten Commandments. And what are they saying in there, cat?

but for people who are in Covenant with me, there is wall, there is a light There's a line fits in perfect harmony with me. And it looks like this. And then he comes in second Samuel chapter 7 to Nathan.

He told us they seem to go to David and he says the Lord declare to you, the Lord himself will make a house View. When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after your descendant, who will come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who built who will do the house for my name and I will establish the Throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline them with a rod of men and Blues from Mortals. But my faithful up, I don't even as it did when I leave it in my removed from the for you, your house and Kingdom will endure before me forever and your phone will be ass at One Forever. God makes his Covenant, with these people who he chooses. And we get past David and we can blow up Art Online a little bit for all of the different prophets who God is sent to explain to his people. He's coming, it's that I've made. You're supposed to be living in them. You supposed to be Bama. This is my plan and purpose for you and all of these different people who were sent as profits to the nation of Israel are proclaiming essentially the same thing.

You need to be rebuilt. Need to be restored and you need to be renewed. and if you notice on our timeline,

The northern and southern Kingdom divided after Solomon dies. The tenant of the North and the Tomb in the south. When is Teen Titans Go on there, multiple prophets coming to try and continuously restore them to God. But there a Dollar Tree in there. I do tree of God leaves. The northern kingdom into captivity with a serious. And there's a prophet named Isaiah Another is sent. To the people. Of the northern and southern kingdoms to Proclaim that the spirit of war, God is on me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. Explain Liberty to the captives and freedom for the prisoners imprisoned by another Nation. Any system clean the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of Our God's Vengeance. The Comfort all who mourn to provide for those who mourn in Zion to give them a crown of beauty. Instead of Ashes Festival oil instead of morning when they close instead of his fear and they will be right, just trees planted by the Lord to glorifying. They will rebuild the ancient ruins. They will restore the former devastations, they will renew the ruined cities. The devastation for many generations. See, all of these prophecies. All these prophecies have immediate fulfillment talkin about the reintegration of the Israelites from these other nations back into one nation of Israel. But it's also a type of Prophecy. It's a type of logical prophecy that there is a type, this is a type of the coming ultimate savior, who is going to have the spirit of the Lord God upon him. Who is going to do the things to Proclaim Liberty to the captives in the imprisonment. And then there is an ultimate and eschatological final type of Prophecy of this. Fit the righteous trees that are planted or going to go out and rebuild and restore and renew the world around them until one day, God is going to come back and ultimately rebuild and restore and renew everything in the end.

I sent a notice of Benjamin and Judah are sent into battle born in captivity. Here Comes onto the scene, another prophet. With a 70-year prophecy, and his name was Jeremiah. He said in Jeremiah 31, Luke the days are coming. This is the Lord's declaration. When I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, this one will be not like the coven and I met with their ancestors on the day. I took him by the hand, to leave them out of my cousins, they broke. Even though I am their Master, the Lord's declaration and said, this is the Covenant. I will make with the house of Israel. After the Declaration, I will put my teaching with in them. And write it on their hearts. I will be their God. And they will be my people. No longer will one teaches neighbor for his brother saying know, the Lord for they will all know me. From the least of the greatest of this is Wars decoration. I will forgive their iniquity and never again, remember their sins. You know, much about Jeremiah Jeremiah became a prophet around the Edge of Seventeen. What are you doing today, Harrison?

He's never allowed to marry, you never allowed to have a family. He was the weeping prophet. Why does no one listen to me? He had all of his aims and all his prophecies collected.

And no one believe it. President 70 years of captivity in Babylon continued on, don't you think people started saying like, is this really what we were meant for? Is this how it's supposed to be? What could be of our nation of Israel? What should we should we be trapped by this other Nation? Should we be ensnared should be in prison.

I don't, you think. The dispo to them. Yeah, we broke the Covenant with God. But he's going to make a new covenant with us.

He's going to put his law in our hearts.

Don't you think that while they're in prison that gave him hope? Of what could be?

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Bible project but this is about a 7-minute summary of the book, Ezra Nehemiah, it does a far better job of explaining where we are now dropping the history that I can sit down for a minute and I'm a video and I'm going to give you a few thoughts about where I think this series in the last 20 years.

Book of Ezra and Nehemiah. The most modern Bible has these books are separate but that division happened long after it was written. It was originally a unified were written by a single author, the stories that after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in its Temple and took many of the people into Exile. And this book picks up about fifty years later and tells the return of some Israelite to Jerusalem. And then what happened when they rebuilt the city and their lives there, a book focuses on three key leaders, who led the rebuilding efforts. You have the Rue LaBelle then as rough and then they have Maya in the book design focuses on the efforts of each leader. The Roosevelt leads, a large group of people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Then about sixty years later, azra arrived in Jerusalem to teach the Torah and rebuild the community, and then he's followed by now, Maya leads, the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, and you three stories are designed to be parallel. Each begins with the King of Persia prompted by God to send And he offers resources and support and then each leader and counters opposition in their efforts which they then overcome but in a way that leads to a strange anticlimax each of the three part, let's back up and see how it fits together. So the Story begins with the decree from Cyrus the King of Persia and he's moved by God. To allow the exile to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. And the author says this took those a promise made by the Prophet. Jeremiah that the Exiles would one day return to Jerusalem. Now, this Fifth Element should trigger Our Hope in the many other prophetic promise is that Exile was not the end of the story. We have hope for a future Messianic, King from the line of David. We hope for a rebuilt Temple. Were God's presence, will dwell with his people. Hope for God's kingdom to come over all the nations and bring his Blessing just like you promised Abraham. And so what's with all these hopes in mind that we read on into the story of the Rubidoux, his name mean, Is it in Babylon? You represent the generation born and Babylonian captivity and he leads a wave of Israelites returning to Jerusalem after they settled. Their, they rebuild the Altar for offering sacrifices and later the temple itself, the foundation laying ceremony, and then the Temple's final dedication needs a key moment. The past stories of the Tabernacle and temples dedication should be in our minds. This is when the fiery cloud of God's presence is supposed to be send, he's dwelling with his people, and it doesn't happen. And so, well, some people are happy about this new Temple. The elders would seen the previews Temple of Solomon. They cry out in Greece. It is nothing like their glorious past or their hopes for the future. And it's right here that we get the first story of opposition and it's very odd. So, the grandchildren of the Israelites who were not taken into Exile, they have been living in Jerusalem all along. They come to offer, help with the temple, rebuilding and zaruba Bell. You have no party. Temple in this. Turquoise generates a conflict which is a Revell overcomes. But because the prophets had envisioned that the tribes of Israel would all come together along with all of the nation's to participate in the worship of the god of Israel when the kingdom finally come. So this is anti-climactic moment to say the least worried about sixty years and were introduced to a, he's a leader among the exiled Israelites in Babylon and he's a Taurus dollar and a teacher. So he gets appointed by artaxerxes King of Persia to lead another way of people back to Jerusalem and ever want to bring about spiritual and social renewal among the people, our hopes are high. And again we come to another anti-climactic moment in the story as a learned that many of the exiled is, well I said come back, they had married. None Exiles who had been living around Jerusalem, some of them were non-israelite almost certainly. Some of them more as but then appeals to the command of the Torah. The Israel was supposed to be holy and separate from the ancient Canaanite and then says that the people living around Jerusalem are like the Canaanites they're going to corrupt. So as our offers a prayer for a very heartfelt but then he rallies all the leader than an ax. This divorce decree that says all these marriages should be an old women and children sent away. And then the decree is only partially carried out when giving a list of some of the men who divorced their wives. The story is very strange for a number of reasons. First of all, God never commanded azra to do any of this. It was the leaders of Jerusalem who let Ezra to make the decree second the Contemporary Prophet Malachi. He did say that the Exiles should care about purity. But he also said that God was opposed to divorce in the mixed results of the decree, this all fits into this pattern of a strange concluding anticlimax, which leads us to the next section about that Maya has an Israelite official serving in the Persian Peppermint. And when he hears about the ruined state of Jerusalem's wall, he pray and then get permission from the Persian king, artaxerxes to go and rebuild the wall. The king even give them an armed escort, know these resources. So after arriving in Jerusalem and Begins the building project and he two faces opposition from the people who had already been living around Jerusalem. Once again, we Face attention in the store, the Contemporary Prophet Zechariah, said that the New Jerusalem of God's kingdom would be a city Without Walls. That got presents with surrounded by people, from all nations would come and join the Covenant. People are Maya seems to operate with the opposite Vision. He informs the people surrounding Jerusalem, that they have no part in Jerusalem and this, of course, provokes them. And so, well, is out his vision for the city with integrity and courage. They have to build the city with armed guards to protect them. We keep wondering, could this whole conflict have been handled differently and there's all these stupid Occlusion of the first positive and the negative combine forces to bring about the spiritual. Renewal among the people that gather, all the Exiles together for a festival, they read, and teach the toilet, all the people for 7 days. And then they celebrate the ancient Feast of Tabernacles to remember God's faithfulness during The Exodus in the world. Mr. And then their offer a confession up there since they found themselves to renew the Covenant follow all the commands of the Torah and they finished with a great celebration over the Temple of the walls of Jerusalem. And we're thinking, this could be the turning point, but it's not the book ends on a huge Downer. Now, Maya tours around the city and he finds that the people have not been fulfilling their Covenant vows Bells. Work is done. Defines the temple being neglected and staff by Aldi's unqualified people. He then discovers, the answer is work is being compromised. He finds everyone violating the Torah people working on the And even his own work on the walls is involved because people are sitting at market around the walls of Jerusalem in working on the Sabbath. So nevermind. He goes on a rampage and beating people. Pulling out their hair needs yelling, obey the commands of the Torah. And his final words are a prayer that God would remember him that, at least he tried and the bookends a very strange, but we've been prepared for it, right? These anti-climactic moments have been woven into the book design intentionally. Is it raises the question? What on Earth does this book? Contribute to the storyline of the Bible? Remember, the book started by raising our hopes. In the prophetic promises about the Messiah, the Temple of the kingdom of God and then none of it happens. So, even though Israel is now back in the land, their spiritual State seems unchanged from before the Exile. And what is Randy, Amaya? They do their best, but their political and social reforms, among the people don't. Address to court issues of their heart. So what the book is pointing out is the same need highlighted by the Prophet. Jeremiah and Ezekiel. What God's people need is a holistic transformation of their heart if they're ever going to love and obey their God into the book ends on a downer. Yes. But it forces you to keep reading on into the wisdom and prophetic books to find out what is God going to do to fulfill his great Covenant promises but now that's the book of Ezra and Nehemiah.

I hope that was helpful. That screen that pain can actually download it and print it off and carry it around with you kind of Q of where we are in the story. What are some applications applications about the story of Ezra Nehemiah? I think the story of them trying to rebuild God's covenant people. Is the same story that we are living today. All history is moving toward a renewal. God calls individuals to join his work of restoration. And even those called, by God May face failure in their efforts to rebuild. I think those three things are all true at the same time I think throughout the story you will see what I've come to call them complex characters. The book of Ezra Nehemiah is made up of. We are made up of we are all complex characters. Trying to figure out how to make this place at this time. What it could in what it should be.

But even those called by God May face failure and their efforts to rebuild. The one of the big summaries of This Book Is that the leaders of Israel failed in that time. Not because of necessarily and how different leadership they failed because everyone So in the people, they were leading needed a new heart.

Need this is it said this is the Covenant, I will make with the house of Israel. I will put my teaching within them and ride it on their hearts.

He says, in chapter 33. Look the days are coming. This is the Lord's declaration that I will fulfill the good promise that I'd spoken concerning the house of Israel in the house of Judah and those days. And at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to sprout app for David, and he will administer Justice and righteousness annoying. In those days, Judah will be saved in Jerusalem as well securely. And this is what she will be name. The Lord is our righteousness.

At the end of the story, the people are going to still be waiting and hoping for this branch of David. Why don't you? The Lord is our light. Paul says in Romans chapter 14, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel.

because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes First Energy and also to the Greek 4 in it. In the good news story. The Lord is our righteousness is revealed. Play the safe just as it is written. The righteous will live by faith.

Hardest thing to rebuild. Foundation Walmart. Sonic church. Not community. Start business. It's not broken bone.

But thankfully, we are not in it alone. The spirit of Christ is actively rebuilding the heart of the repentant, baptized follower of Jesus fall follows up with the Romans chapter 8, you however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God lives in you, if anyone is not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. Now crisis in you, the body is dead because of him, but the spirit gives life. Because of righteousness. And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, and he who raised Christ from the dead, will bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit. He lives in you. God is actively rebuilding and restoring and Renewing Your Heart.

Do as we conclude this morning, I want you to ask yourself as we go through every lesson of the series. what part of your heart do you need to let the spirit of Christ rebuilding

How can you rebuild part the store, the church in Green Bay? And how can a restored Church renew its community Through movement of the Gospel.

That's how we can apply the book of Ezra Nehemiah. This morning, you may be sitting here thinking. I don't feel the presence on a Feeling. You might say, I don't know if the spirit of Christ is working on me. When are you letting it?

We have a feeling or a thought or emotion that, you know, isn't right. We are reading scripture. Are you asking it to carve out all the parts of you and replace them with him?

Are you letting your heart be removed? All of Israel. And all of their leaders have been more focused on rebuilding their parts. You think there might have been a different outcome?

Could there be a different outcome for us today? This morning?