Rebuild Ezra 6 English 2/9/25

Continue looking through the books and working our way, through the books of Ezra Nehemiah and Barry spoke to us the last couple of weeks. I gave us some of the foundation for the return of the Jewish people to their Homeland in Jerusalem. They've been taken into Exile by the Babylonians or many of their Wicked Ways. God has chosen the Babylonians to conquer his people, the Israelites to lead them into captivity. Where their culture was manipulated, where their language was manipulated, where their lives were changed and they became much more like the Babylonians and they probably ever wish they could. I didn't this time. This is a timeline from the fall of Jerusalem in 585 586 BC. There's a decree from King Cyrus around 5:38 and then that year, Cyrus decreed that some of the Jewish people should go back to Jerusalem. And they should take some of the stuff that have been taken from them and use it to rebuild their home. These Israelites it found favor with King Cyrus and King Cyrus. Puts out this, eat it and zerubbabel's chosen as a leader to go back and reconstruct the Altar and reconstruct the temple. Very talk to us about what it meant to reconstruct, the altar in the temple, the last 2 weeks. But if you noticed the temple being completed, Is about 22 years after that, initial edict is given by Cyrus. I would like you that's a long time. How long does it take to build the tallest building in the world? Maybe a decade. Prison 22 years to complete. The building of the temple is the rubble was commissioned to leave. And there's several characters that pop on the scene in the last few chapters specifically, the prophet haggai and Zechariah and it says that the people were laboring under their prophecy. In chapter 5, we saw that things aren't going so well for the Israelites. Some of the people who have remained in Israel who were supposed to be there, Jewish brothers and sisters, come to the temple. And ask, hey, can we help you lay the foundation? Can we help you build the temple and these Jewish captives from Babylon that if comeback, say absolutely not. We don't want your help. It's like you're here only understand why do they not want their help. Well, when they're told, no, we don't want your help. Those people turn right around and write a letter to the new key. And artaxerxes actually put the stop issues a decree saying you will not continue the building of the Temple. It's all about 6 years into the laying of the building of the author in the laying of the foundation of the temple, all of the work on the temple stops.

Write the biggest deal in Jerusalem, the center of all life. The thing that these people were sent back to do six years after starting, it's over and it's done. I get the foundation, laid and King artaxerxes says, No more. There's evidence that the Israelites in the past that is 13 and they tried to overthrow teams and there's this constant. Unrest and artist, are she says you're done. I'm not taking a chance on you threatening my power someday the temple building process is over. These two prophets, Saigon Zechariah and I don't know if you've ever read haggai, it's a short little book at the very end of the Old Testament. But I got I sent to the people and he says in 1:3, the word of the Lord came through the prophet haggai. Is it a time for yourself to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in Ruins? The Lord of army says this think carefully about your ways. you have planted much, but harvested little you eat, but it never had enough to be satisfied. You drink, but never have enough to be happy. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage-earner, puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.

You see that God has sent these Prophets? And he's telling through this prophets, the Israelite people. You sit around in your nice comfortable homes. Well, God's house lies in what

You've spent your whole life, taking care of yourself. And this decree comes from the King and he says stop working on it. and you just use, that is a good excuse to sit in your nice cozy, comfortable life, And leave the temple of God. Add Foundation.

Guess what? There's nothing. It's the second year of King Cyrus. Hey guys. They give us a chance to be king for a little bit. After artaxerxes is overtaking.

And how guys message Rings true. And the Jewish people they say, hey why, why don't we get back to work on it? This is supposed to be the most important thing that we ever did in our life. God put us on this planet and go back to Jerusalem and rebuild his Temple. Why are we doing?

Why haven't we started working again?

Well, there's a governor.

An instrument of the government that gets in the way.

Go figure. Nervous laughter, good.

The governor Patton, I gets in the way. And he writes a letter and he says, hey, you guys are building the Temple again and they say that your predecessor's predecessor said, it was fine. There's actually decree. I want time ago like 15 years ago, something like that. Whatever happened to that, is that true these people like to have a ride to build this Temple. Did artaxerxes wipe out a previous Kings degree

when you find out.

In the beginning of chapter 6. The yes, Tim Cyrus had commissioned. The Israelites to go back to Jerusalem, 18. Cyrus had told them to go do this and artaxerxes had a previous teams or to tell them to stop.

and I don't know about you, but when I think through this story, And I think there's a probable, the man who is sent to lead this rebuilding effort.

I'm not sure this would fit in my timeline.

I'm not sure that if I were to ruble. McDonald's gave me a specific purpose and the king who had been our enemy is telling our friend and told me he'd go back to your Homeland and build this

I'm not sure when he's two years. With that, my timeline.

Cuz I'm in a hurry to get things done.

I know my audience in some ways I hoping that there's a specific song that comes to mind. I may be a little too far north for this but those are the first lyrics to a hit song by the group Alabama right. And you can probably finish it for me I'm in a hurry to get things done rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really got to do is live and die and I'm in a hurry and don't know why.

When I read this passage in Ezra chapter 6. We're going to camp out for a few minutes today. All I can think about is how in a hurry. I feel. I'm in a hurry, you'll probably feel and how in a hurry. These people probably felt when they first went back. Then our text today, we see that rebuilding takes time. Help comes from unexpected places. And at the Mountaintop moments to bring joy unity and purity. You will look at Ezra chapter 6 will start in verses 1 through 3. King Darius gave the order and they search them a library of Babylon in archives. But it was in The Fortress of equitana in the province of media that the scroll was found with this record written on it in the first year of King, Cyrus and issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem, but the house be rebuilt. As a place for offering sacrifices and let its original Foundation to be retained. is 390 ft and its width 90 ft

Botana in the province of media is. I have no idea. I can promise you, it wasn't in the capital of Babylon. They had to go digging through the archives. From to King's ago. Find the decree to rebuild the Temple. You know today you know when we we have some history question. I usually just do a quiz, right? She's one of the unofficial churches story. Right? What happened? 50 years ago and Liz can usually tell you the answer. It's good to have archives, it's good to have records because ideas that are absolutely vital to the structure and the way things are supposed to be, they get lost. What time did you get busy? And you have working. And you forget why you were actually sent to do something to begin with. And so the Babylonians kept medical records of every decree that all these teams were making. So that a few years down the road, a different team could go back and reference. What did his previous King? We do this in our government all the time, and we call it present that there's a precedent for how things are supposed to be done. And so you don't want to undo what someone else did in the past. Unless you realize, it might be better than what was done in the past. And we see from this, how much time has gone past? It when they were sent. Now years have gone by multiple Executive branch has powers governments have come and gone. People that lived and died.

And we see that nothing happens overnight.

I don't know about you but I'm getting anxious if reading this I'm getting anxious just thinking about all the time that it looks like these people wasted they sat around and they're nice comfortable and cozy atmosphere. Are the foundation of the temple was lying with nothing happen.

And I think that when we look at the amount of time, a rebuilding effort takes, it's never going to be fast enough. Have you ever had a construction project? I haven't not really, but I know that there's a few things around our house. We're trying to get done and it never happens in our timeline. Did you call the guy? And he calls you back and then call him back and played phone tag for four days and he says he'll come in 4 months? Right. In general when you're trying to build something it feels like it takes a lot of time is there only so many people who are qualified enough to do it? And for whatever reasons rubbable is, the person that God has commissioned to make this effort happen. I want you to notice. Not only does it take time, it takes a lot of different people.

Rick and I talked a lot about how I can have a good idea. People aren't really motivated by me. Galvanizer. I don't I don't think people in the pants and tell him to get going and everybody what to do that.

I don't have that. That's not.

I know what ideas? I just am I really that great at following through

Picture of, we call her tenacious, Trish, or the first NATO sometimes because, like, you want something done, you call her and it gets done, it'll be done faster than you could have expected. we have complementary role, do they have complimentary function to me a complimentary gifting when we kind of expand this out to what is a church like Is that true of all of us? A body has many members with different functions and the ear is not the hand and hands, not the eye, in the eyes, not the foot.

Who was the guy that was sent to lead to make this happen? But if it was left in the rubble, the foundation of the temple, would have still been sitting What does the first obstacle that comes from the government back in Babylon in trouble and all the people are like that we're done. We're walk off the job site, not worth making the king mad we're good. What about 10? Send the galvanizer. In the prophet, he sent someone to just give them just enough a little bit of guilt and shame. Are you sitting in your panel poems? Well, got simple ways and right.

I think the building takes time because we building take people It doesn't always think up the way you want it to. People, different points. They come in different time. They come in different places in life. They come with different maturity levels and experience levels. And then we're supposed to be working at all together.

And I mean, it takes time.

Look at verse 13, through 15, governor of the region, west of the Euphrates River. She thought our bows and I and their college did derrius and decreed for the Jewish Elders. Continue successfully with the building under the prophesy of haggai, the prophet and Zacharias on a day. Do they finish the building according to the command of the god of Israel? And the decrees of Cyrus Darius King artaxerxes of Persia without the completed, on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Gary's, Little mysterious decree I want you. I hope you get it later today. We'll go back and read what Darius but seriously emphasizes what is predecessor Cyrus set. No talking to these people are allowed. No wonder, they allow they've been given the past assignment to rebuild this Temple. Really God Only Knows Why why did God influence Cyrus in some way to let his people go back to Jerusalem to start rebuilding the temple. It's probably because we get all these incredible stories about rebuilding something. Leading up to the coming Christ. But for whatever reason, whatever possessed Cyrus and Darius for allowing this to happen. Not only do they supposed to go back, but but there is even kind of went up to it and said I'm going to pay for it. My government going to pay for it.

But that's not as my Governor make it happen. if you notice, Hi guy. Comes in around the second year of King, Cyrus in the first year of King, Cyrus issued the decree. And so if it's completed in the sixth year of King Darius, if it's from the second year of the nearest 10,

Do people actually put doubles in the ground and in Boots on the site and and they actually get their act together and they get all the government permits that are needed when things finally lineup and time has finally come, that all of the pieces and parts and people are in the right place at the right time. It really doesn't take that long. Not for your.

But a fifth of the total time taken from the time I left battle. When they really get their act together, a lot can happen in a short. Of time. And one of the reasons it can happen in a short. Of time is because the help comes from a really unexpected point. That's why the governor's gets out of the way. And I don't believe that he starts helping and he does what Darius told him to do and provides the resources that are needed to actually make it happen.

In verse 15.

This house is completed. 6 year of the reign of King lyrics. this Temple, that was the center of life for Israelites that the Babylonians destroyed, when they conquered Jerusalem, Solomon's Temple. It was left in Ruins. Has been rebuilt.

Brinkley Against All Odds. This little tiny ethnic Jewish Nation. Has been the captive prisoner of one of the great empires of the world. And somehow they have managed to return home and rebuild the centerpiece of their community.

From the Ashes.

And at no expense to them.

It's one of the great rebounds of all time. It's one of the great comebacks of all time.

It is storks this era of what we call second temple Judaism. It's from what we learned a lot about the Jewish people. It's from the group of people who actually collected, all of the writings of the Old Testament, it gave them another epicenter of their community that allowed people to come together and gather all of the information that we now know as the Old Testament.

But it is something bigger than that.

Before shadowed a center of life. Every single person on this Earth would be asked and called to revolve around.

and all, because the person who was their enemy, I'll come out.

And I'd written this long letter to the king like trying to be like hey get the kids walking outside again.

I'm going to Keene said now. I'm going to do that and I want you to help him.

What happen if your enemy came in and said, I want to help.

Part taking help from your enemy. Partaking helping someone you don't like it's hard taking help from someone that you think doesn't understand you or doesn't get you or know where you're coming from. it's hard, taking help when you don't really know what a person's real intentions are Maybe Pat and I just giving us this and he's going to help us out because he was to catch us in a trap. So he can he can turn his over back to the king.

No. The help they needed to complete the temple. Pain from a couple little profits.

The guy who'd been the Big Bopper.

Like help you come from unexpected places?

We were 16. then the usual lights, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiled celebrated, the dedication of the house of God with joy, they also appointed the priest by their divisions in the Levites, by their groups, to the service of God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the book of Moses, They deserve the festival unleavened bread for 7 days with joy, because the Lord had made them joyful having changed the Assyrian Kings attitude toward them, so that he supported them in the work, on the house of the god of Israel. Okay.

Hack into those three short verses. Is a complete Revival.

Go back to verse 18. They did, we instituted? The divisions of the priests and the Levites by their groups, to the service of God in Jerusalem.

According to what is written in the book of Moses. again, the people who had become God's enemy, who had been cheating and committing adultery on there. The people who is abandoned God's word and his wall, I've been let off into captivity. And it managed to make their way back to their Hometown, rebuilding the temple. But more importantly rebuilding in their heart, I desire to do the log.

This is a complete Revival. 5211 secularize for Generations. In Babylon, these people who have been pulled away from God, and towards the secular life.

They turn.

They repented. They replanted, they've replaced their trust in God.

They deserve the Festival of unleavened bread for 7 days with joy. Why was it? Because God commanded them to keep the Festival of unleavened bread. Was it because it was written down in the law. And if they didn't do it, they were breaking the law and that would be bad. No, they did it because God had made them joyful.

Did The Impossible? He did the unthinkable, he led and initiated the greatest comeback story in the history of the world.

He supported them in the work. On the house of the god of Israel.

Does that sound like a mountain top moment?

Man, you can you imagine how exciting it must have been the day that Temple was reconstructed? Now, they're there, when they say, if you really look closely, there were people who are, like, I remember the temple and this, ain't it. I remember Solomon's Temple in all the glory, this one in it, is it a great? People who were really worried about what the temple looks like. The people are really worried about what the temple seems like. The people who were really worried about the outward appearance of what the temple was. The Decker and they say all day long.

the people who is replanted and replace their trust in God, who it turned and repented, who had undergone this revival There is nothing to keep them from joint.

United, a people. Gave him something to Rally around.

And it reminded them what it means to be cure. He reminded them that the sin offerings that were being offered on the altar. These Bull and RAM offerings, the lamb offerings. They were offered for each tribe of Israel. They were reminded that the Passover Lamb.

Purified.

All of the priests and Levites were ceremonial clean because they are purified themselves. They killed the Passover Lamb and sells their Priestly brothers, and all the X-Files. Mountain Top moments these moments when everything clicks when everything works together. Maybe it is.

And it is going for. People are united. And they're committed. To doing it the way. It's supposed to be done.

Man.

Hard to maintain.

Tricia. And I like going to Western Texans camp. Where are we?

It's a place of rest and restoration, it's a place where you're with people who follow Jesus everyday. Place where you can recover from the stress of life and every year it's a nice little recharge in a Mountaintop moment and we have taken others, you leave there on a spiritual High.

and by the next Sunday, you like, Oh, here we go again.

Why is joyful worship? So difficult to maintain. They got in and out of it again. We are in a hurry for what is next?

This is one of my probably.

I'm going to hurry for what's next. I remember graduating college in 2010. Trish and I were starting dating like within a day or two of this belly full fuzzy. Now, But I was eating dinner with my family after my graduation and I was going to start med school in a few weeks, I guess. And I'm kind of like what's the big deal?

Graduate college. Don't like you people, my family never did. My mom never graduated college, my uncle.

Are we making a big deal out of this, right? Amstel Light. Move on no big deal. Nothing to see here. Why are we doing this? I got stuff to do at pleased to be. I don't have time to celebrate college graduation. I've got a med school graduation and then probably a residency graduation and then a fellowship graduation and maybe 15 years from now. I'll be done and have a real job.

My dad looked at me, I don't know why is this stuff with you forever? But he's what's going on process? And he told me he's like you need to enjoy this.

It was a little guilt. Elmo sing. No, I love

and it didn't really work.

But I enjoyed that neck Mountaintop moment a little bit. Savor that med school, graduation a little bit.

But I'm always worried about what's next. There's always something new. There's always something that fits bigger. There's always something that got to be done. It could always be better and I'm a little bit of a perfectionist. Let's go.

I'm in a real hurry.

And you rush and rush until life's no fun.

When I ask a question, why is it that way for worship difficult to maintain? Recent book that. I downard through my wife. But hurry. Short circuits, the lifestyle diseases.

We went through the Book of Mark pretty extensively over about a year. We aren't about what Jesus taught, and we learned about how Jesus treated people. I don't know that I did a really great job. Showing how Jesus lived. I'm not sure that is a very good job. I'm not sure that I'm not throwing Diego, or anyone else? I'm pretty sure in that series under the bus, but I'm not sure. I really focus that much on his watch. Over and over and over again. Jesus got away from the crowd. The place of Solitude. Wizard Wizard of Place. That he was deliberately on her. When Jesus has a young child to go, save from death and a woman with a bleeding disorder, a chronic disease. We talked about the triage of Jesus was completely wrong then or now but he was in no hurry. You did what needed to be done when it needed to be done and you are going to change his timeline.

You didn't rush the silence and Solitude of life. Hey, Mark chapter one. We're told that Jesus went out into the Wilderness to be tempted by Satan that he was let out to the Wilderness by the spirit. And John Mark, Comer in his book, The ruthless elimination of hurry made an interesting point. I always thought that Jesus I fasted for 40 days to prove how strong he was and resilient he was and how that he can overcome any Temptation, no matter how weak he was. Pajama Comer actually pointed out to me and probably some of you could have as well. But that's where Jesus got it, Sprint.

Get it straight from the silence and the Solitude and the fasting. It wasn't to prove that he can overcome anything even at its weakest goes to show. What we need to have the string that Jesus had. Didn't rush prayer. All these times that you thought Jesus should be asleep. He's on a mounting frame. When you should be feeling people, he's prank. He's connecting with his father. we pulled over and over again, throughout the gospel accounts, some of these Sabbath and counters that he has with Jewish people, and in March, after 2, he says, man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for men, God rested. Who created the world in six days and on the seventh day God rested and the word Sabbath can actually mean stop and the wife. It's a god stop and delighted in his creation. It is the Sabbath was made for us. Then it was made for us to stop and delight and what we have in Christ and in God, the Father and you never rush relationship.

He could see into them, he could know them but he took the time. You know who they were to fully know someone and fully love them. Any offers for practices and principles? Ruthlessly eliminate hurry, from our lives.

He says the solitude. Secular people are calling it mindfulness but time alone. Doesn't mean you're lonely. But you need time alone with your maker.

And Solitude, while being alone can actually be the cure for loneliness.

Because what's happening right now in our culture, you're never alone.

7 billion people. Are accessible at the touch of a button.

This was a year ago I've had to work my walkway out of this. I couldn't take the garbage to the street without taking my phone with me and scrolling through Twitter.

We are never more alone.

We're never more lonely than we are now, and we're never less alone than we are now. And maybe it's because we don't practice the Solitude of Jesus. Ramos, the deserted Place early in the morning while it was still dark. Jesus retreated to a lonely desert. It eradicated place to the Wilderness to pray Have solitude. With him and God.

Sabbath. Give me a cure for the Restless. I read what haggai said right you eat and are never satisfied. You drink and you're never full. Thing is ever going to satisfy the restlessness of your soul. Until you experience every single thing on this Earth. You were always going to have a fear of missing out, unless you could experience every single thing on this Earth. I have a little case of fomo, that's what they call it. Fear of missing out fomo right. When I go to a new city, I want to try the greatest donut in that City. It's a problem. I admit it. But I do know any City and I'm like I can't leave the city cuz I might never come back and I love donuts and if they have the best donut in New Orleans, I've got to try it.

I'm restless and you're restless. And we have over desire for things. They were not meant to / desire.

stopping in the lighting and what you have spending time in solitude and it rest Sabbath concur that restlessness how to spell cystic and I won't mention the denomination but you're actually really good. Studies of one particular Christian denomination that their men live 7 years longer than the average American male and their women with four years longer than the average American female. And one of the things that has been proposed as to why that is his, they practice at on a 24 hour. Timer Every week. If you add up the number of days, you would spend inside her over a lifetime. 7 to 10 years.

It's a one of the proposed thought is, maybe that day your spending and rest your earning an extra years added on your life. Because one of those ridiculous is that your productivity go down after about 50 hours, which is about 6 work days? Maybe God put in your body, the biology to know that you're not supposed to work more than that. Maybe he put in your body, the knowledge that you are to stop and delight and to slow down. Maybe he put in us. This need for rap. because he has, Simplicity, think you're the compass.

We have a lot of stuff. What's the biggest industries in this country is storage units? Things that we don't know we have, and don't know that we need and we put them in storage because we might want or need them someday.

We have an over desire for something. And if we just simplify maybe that covetousness would go away. Because slowing down feature of hurry.

Jesus, in his invitation.

I need more and more each day says, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. Cuz I am lowly and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is life.

Maybe as we rebuild.

we need a ruthlessly eliminate hurry to do so

Maybe we need to wait on God. Let him raise us up. Maybe we need to remember that. Rebuilding takes time. Maybe we need to be willing to look in unexpected places. For people to help us. maybe when those Mountaintop moments come, we should keep celebrating them. Maybe we should celebrate The Valleys just as much. Who sings? It's hard to maintain.

Jesus went into the valley of death. So that we didn't have to.

Jesus went up on that mountain and died. A cruel death on a cross. So, we wouldn't have to. Jesus death, burial and Resurrection were meant to give us an eternal Mountaintop Moment full of joy and unity of jury. It's literally what we came to do. this morning, if you have not experienced that you've not come to know him, you have an opportunity to if you have wandered away from that, if you've lost that connectivity, To the father and the son and the spirit we want to pray for you and want to give you an opportunity to restore and repent and replace your trust. I go back and have Revival return to the way things have always most of them. If you need this morning, come out.