Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

We are continuing our sermon series on “New Beginnings” and last week we looked at how the Jewish people were “Holding onto the Promises” of God.

The temple has begun being built and the Jews run into a problem.

ILLUSTRATION

Just because a person can do something, doesn't mean they should do it.

Effective leaders know who to focus their attention on what they should do, while choosing not to do other things they could do.

Billy Graham modeled the principle of focus when he turned down NBC's offer of a million dollars to co-host a TV show and Hollywood's offer to star in two movies.

Graham had focus—it was to preach the gospel.

What are you focused on?

Are you focused on God and how He can work in your life?

Are you being distracted?

4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 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.”

3 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.”

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 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.

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

The Letter to King Artaxerxes

4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 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.”

3 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.”

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 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.

6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

PRAY!

I.

People will Distract

4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

“Adversary” means “someone who offers opposition”

Who were these adversaries?

Remember in ?

3 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening.

Also we need to remember Israel’s history from when they left.

Remember who was still there after Israel was taken into exile?

The Samaritans.

They heard the exiles were starting to return and they were going to rebuild the Temple.

2 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.”

The Samaritans came and approached Zerubbabel and all the heads of the houses and wanted to build the temple with them

They stated that they were just as the Jewish people

They said, “we worship your God as you do”

“Worship” means “to seek - to apply oneself to something, as to follow”

That was only a half truth though

They also worshipped their own god’s

33 So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

They didn’t have the same convictions as the Jews did

They definitely didn’t submit to the authority of God’s Word

They weren’t dedicated to the ONE TRUE GOD

This is dangerous when we look at our lives

When we are witnessing to people and we say, “Do you believe in God?”

That is a loaded question

There are a ton of people who believe in God.

4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—

What God do they believe in that is what you need to focus on.

Just because someone believes in God does NOT mean they believe in the ONE TRUE GOD

ILLUSTRATION

I have a friend named Dylan.

Now Dylan and I have been friends for some time, maybe over 15 years.

I actually asked Dylan if he believed in God and he said yes, and I said, “Oh, that is cool.”

I didn’t think anything of and and left it at that.

One day Dylan and I were talking I was a teenager at the time but I felt the call on my life around that time and started to get pretty religious.

We started talking about God and I was telling him about church and how dedicated I was to the church I went to at the time.

I decided I was going to ask him what denomination he was a Rationalistic.

I was confused and I said what is that?

Rationalistic Satanism.

That is what his religious was.

He said that they have their own 10 commandments and a main commandment is “treat others the way you want to be treated” then he went onto explain that God and Satan were not real beings and that with the version of Satanism he followed, people are the Gods, they put an emphasis on doing the 7 deadly sins which are, greed, pride, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.

“Right on....” was my though

We don’t worship the same God as people who are Jehovah Witness or Mormon

I would say we agree with the Jews and the Muslims on there being 1 true God but they don’t believe in Jesus Christ who is the Father, Spirit and the Son.

Here in our text the Samaritans were trying to distract the Jews and show them “Oh hey, let us build the temple too, we also believe in the God you serve”

They were FOCUSED though

Are You Focused on What God is trying to tell you or show you?

Are you paying attention to the people around you and seeing how they are reacting?

PEOPLE WILL DISTRACT US

II.

People Will Discourage

3 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.”

Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses

In other words, all the leadership

Remember what they did earlier in Ezra when they looked over all the people who were going to help out with the rebuilding of the temple?

63 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim.

They went though every name of those whose parents where Jewish and Persian and consulted the LORD on EVERY NAME.

That was something different though

The Jews KNEW the Samaritans worshipped other gods

What was their response?

“You have NOTHING to do with us in building a house to OUR God”

They called “A spade a spade, not a gardening tool”

Sure they partook in temple worship but they also worshipped other gods

They didn’t worship YHWH EXCLUSIVELY

When they looked into Cyrus’ decree they saw that the Samaritans are not mentioned

The Jews had a couple things going for them 1 was that decree

The decree was a legal document that kept them free and honest

The leadership said, “We alone will build this temple that Cyrus king of Persia commanded

Remember I told you all that this decree was going to come in handy?

They made a statement by bringing up what Cyrus said.

They weren’t budging.

But the Samaritans were’t satisfied with that answer

4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 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.

“Discouraged” means “to lower- to move something or somebody to a lower position”

At first the Jews had the high ground, they made their stand and didn’t get distracted at what the Samaritans were doing

But the Samaritans went to the counselors and bribed them so that the building could stop

Seems like some great believers right?

Remember they said, “we follow your God as you do”

What people would want to stop what God is doing if they follow Him?