An Unremarkable Restoration

Title- An Unremarkable Restoration

Passage-

Introduction- Have you ever gone on a trip somewhere and forgotten something important?

You open the suitcase and can’t find what you need…

Or you left the bag with your shampoo and soap at home…

Maybe it was your toothbrush…

Quite a few years back, Missy and I traveled to Iowa for a funeral for my aunt.

In our preparation for the trip we had everything ready to go

But when we got there we realized that the garment bag with the clothes for the funeral service was still hanging in the bedroom back in northern Wisconsin.

We had to find a store with the clothes we needed and purchase all new clothes because of the forgotten items

Attention- As servants of Jesus Christ..it is of utmost importance that we be prepared

Problem- What we will notice in this passage is that all of the preparations for the Temple were made…the Temple is done being built but one very large oversight is about to be discovered.

They are about to leave behind a very important group of people…and who they are might surprise you.

CPS- All through Scripture and even today God makes use of people to accomplish His will.

Interrogative (CPS in a question)- What are some defining characteristics of people God uses?

Transition- You may be surprised as we progress through the list but the first is that…

I. The first characteristic God uses is the prepared (15)

Explain- So Ezra has received his commission…

If any of you are like me, at that point its time to get to work…

-Time to get moving…

-I’ve got my orders, now lets go…

-God has been working since chapter 1:1 to revive worship in Jerusalem

-God has prepared the hearts of kings

-God has prepared the hearts of leaders

-God has prepared building materials

-God has prepared everything…

-God is patient,

For the Christian time spent waiting is time spent in preparation…

Ezra doesn’t just receive his orders and hit the ground running

-He prepares his heart, as we saw last week.

-He humbles himself before his holy God and thanks Jahweh for all He has done

Now we see Ezra preparing in the material aspects of life and service.

-Verse 15 tells us that as Ezra was camped at Ahava he “viewed” the people

-Now this doesn’t mean he was people watching like I enjoy doing at the mall

-He was looking for something

-He was looking to be sure he was prepared

-He was going over his checklist making sure he was ready

-And you know what, he noticed something. There were no Levites!!!

-So what, right…so a few men from one of the tribes isn’t there, it’ll be ok

-NO!!! The Levites were essential to worship in the Temple…they are a nonnegotiable

-In God lays out the role of Aaron and the Levites

-In verse 1-5 we read God telling Aaron the role of the Levites

The Levites were needed!!!!

Illustrate- Like in my opening story…those clothes were needed. What if there wasn’t a store in that town to get new clothes? There almost wasn’t, it was a pretty small town

Apply- Do we need to be perfect to be usable? No

But we should be prepared

-We need to have asked Jesus Christ to forgive our sin based on His blood sacrifice

-We need to continue in holiness. As best we can

-We need to know the Scriptures

-And we need to ask God for the wisdom to use the Scriptures

We don’t need to be perfect but we do need to be prepared

Transition- God not only uses the prepared but…

II. The second characteristic God uses is the ordinary (16)

Explain- There are two groups in this category

In both of these groups we do not find men of pedigree or men with fancy titles

-We find in these two groups ordinary men…

1- The men listed in verse 16…

-The only thing we read about these men is that they are men of understanding.

-God isn’t looking for what the world would call extraordinary men and women

-I believe He is looking for men and women who meet these 3 criteria:

-Available

-Obedient

-Understand Scripture

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-God isn’t looking for a Phd. or someone who comes from a long pedigree of great Christians

-Can and does God often use individuals with great education and a long pedigree…yes but it is NOT a requirement

2- Iddo…the man in charge of this community of Jews in Casiphia

-What do we know about this man Iddo?

-Absolutely nothing

-There are other men in the Scriptures by this name that we know more about but this particular man we know very little

-He lives in Casiphia

-He is the leader of the Jews there

-THat’s it!!!!!

What do we have without these men…the men in verse 16 and this man Iddo?

-You do not have Levites to work in the Temple

-Without the Levites we do not have Temple worship and all that has been done to this point is for nothing.

Illustrate- It’s like not knowing on Super Bowl Sunday that the Super Bowl is being played

-There are some big names in this game…

-But there are some not so big names that play a huge role in the game

-What are the names of the two men with the potential to start the game with the opening kick-off?

-For the Patriots…Stephen Gostkowski

-For the Rams…Greg Zuerlein

-A bigger question is who snaps the ball on field goals and PAT

-Can anyone give me a name?

Refute- This is one of the tactics that Satan uses against us…”You’re nobody”

-“No one even knows who you are”

Friends it doesn’t matter if in the worlds eyes you really are a nobody, to God you are somebody

-It doesn’t matter if no one knows who you are because the God who is in control knows you.

Apply- We need to speak truths to ourselves

-God uses what the world rejects.

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-I believe God chooses the unlikely, the broken, the unremarkable because through them He receives the glory…and when He receives the glory it’s because the humble are pointing others to Him

-Besides, lets get real…l if we really were as great as we think we are we still fall so far short of God and His abilities.

Transition- God obviously uses the prepared…He uses the lowly and thirdly,

III. The third characteristic God uses is the forgotten (17)

Explain- Here is a question similar to “Who are the long snappers in the Super Bowl”.

-Who are the Nethinims?

-Humbly slip your hand up if you know the answer.

-They are a forgotten people…even to the Jews until they are needed.

-Kind of like the sound guy

-Or the garbage man

-The janitor…

-These are the Nethinims

-They play an intrigal part in Temple worship

-If we have no garbage men we have some big messy problems

-If the Temple does not have the Nethenims the worship is hindered.

So, who are they?

Nethenim literally means “given ones”

-The precise origin of them is unclear but the first mention of the group (not by this name but by description) is in and 47

-After Israel conquered the Midianites God commanded Moses to select certain “people, cattle, donkeys, sheep or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle”

-Later in we read of the Gibeonites and after they tricked Joshua into a treaty he committed them to be Temple servants.

*Now at this point…don’t be worried that I am going to somehow apply the Temple servant work to you and try to manipulate you into the menial tasks around the church building.

Illustrate- But what happens if there is no janitor?

-Lets go back to the Super Bowl, what if the janitors go on strike?

What if we no longer have anyone to clean the church?

-Cut the church grass?

-Teach or help in Sunday school classes?

-Shovel sidewalks

-What happens when you are not here?

-You are missed!!

-You may not receive a call or card but you are missed!

-The point isn’t trying to get more workers in the church

-The point is even if you feel forgotten or unimportant, that is a lie from Satan

-I would look pretty ridiculous preaching to a bunch of empty chairs

-Whatever level you are involved here…you are important

Not important because of:

-What you do

-What you give

-But because you are important to God…

Apply- Take a look at this awesome picture of us…of the average Christian.

-The under appreciated and the forgotten

-We are important…

Verse 19…So of the Levites they had 20 men…20 men of importance and position

Verse 20…how many servants?

-How many forgotten and unappreciated?

-220…did they need that many? I honestly don’t know but thats’ how many showed up when the call was given.

-Friends, the truth is this…

-God uses the ordinary…and…He has a lot to accomplish.

-If this world were full of TV and Radio preachers and had no lay christians the work of God would suffer tremendously

-Often times it is what lay christians do not bring to the church that is important

-They don’t bring:

-A head full of knowledge and a heart empty of compassion

-Pride

-Self-interest

-They do bring:

-Compassion

-Availability

-Obedience

*What is God is looking for in a vessel to use?

-Understanding

-Compassion

-Availability

-Obedience

-Not how many friends you have

-Not your spiritual pedigree

-Not the degrees and letters after your name

-He wants your heart, not your head

Final Statement

How much of you will you given Him?

Closing Hymn-

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