Untitled Sermon (4)

Week 2

Ezra Chapters 1-2

Overview of the Book of Ezra

It is History.

This is very distinct from epistles, which give very straightforward instructions for obedience (a la Hebrews).

Like Exodus, it is giving us glimpses of God and of God’s people during a specific point in time, and we must carefully study it to see what is available for us to apply to today.

Nonetheless, it is God’s word. Though “dusty stories about building projects” in the fifth century BC, God has divine bread from Heaven for us to feast on as we give ourselves to studying it.

Take care, you must study it for truth carefully before you apply it.

Rest of Overview from Week 1.

Studying Ezra Ch 1-2

These first two chapters begin the chronicle of the return of exiles from Babylon/Persia to Jerusalem for the rebuilding of the temple/walls, and restoration of God’s law. In them, I see three big themes on full display for us to catch and consider concerning God and his nature...

1. The Sovereignty of God

Very clearly seen in these chapters is God’s sovereign hand at work to accomplish his purposes for his people through even the heathen people and leaders that are their captors. Shows up in 3 places...

v1, “the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia...”

At this moment in world history, Cyrus is without a doubt one of the most powerful rulers in the world. His kingdom just overthrew Babylon, what had been most powerful empire of the day. He is the king over all.

And this King is like butter in the hand of God. God is able to soften and steer him to accomplish his purposes of restoring his people to the promised land.

It showcases God’s sovereignty - God rules above all rulers. He is literally the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

Exactly as Paul says in - “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

v5, the people who were led by God to return, “everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord.”

These people had been removed by force from Israel to be assimilated into Babylon for 70 years (1949 to today). The third generation are adults, fourth generation is being born. Babylon is home, in every real sense of the word.

Returning would not only have been undesirable, but dangerous as well. Long journey, without protection, to a land ruled by people who (as we will see) are not excited about them rebuilding anything.

This decision doesn’t make sense, and yet people are stirred to go. Why? The sovereign hand of God, who rules over the hearts of man.

This actually reminds me of the call to ministry or call to missions that many experience. It often doesn’t make a lick of sense by worldly perspective, and yet it is an undeniable stirring of heart that grabs a person and pulls them into unthinkable places, sometimes dangerous.

One last place we see this… v6-10 - God stirs the hearts of the Persian people to give their treasures for the work, and of Cyrus to return all these treasures stolen from the temple.

Again, an action that doesn’t make much sense to the human mind and the naturally sinful heart.

And yet, it is happening because God is sovereign over our hearts, able to stir people for his purposes, in this case to provide for the work he is calling his people to undertake.

APPLICATION. The thing that is on display that I want to make sure none of us miss is God’s sovereignty over the heart - he can change it for his purposes. Which is great, great, great news. Why?

When we find sin in our hearts -- rigid, long-lasting, identity level sin; sin that feels set in concrete -- God can break through in an instant.

When we find sin in others hearts -- same thing.

It should drive us to two things...

1. Faith. Confident hope in God’s ability to bring full and radical change when all seems lost.

2. Prayer. The pursuit of that full and radical change from the only hands that can bring it.

As a practical effort in this, I want you to right now think about the person out there who seems the most impossible to imagine faithfully walking with Jesus. Likely either an atheist (fully against the idea of God) or someone deep in sin (too far gone). And I want to call you to faith - believing that God can change their heart, and prayer--asking him to. Knowing that God is sovereign.

2. The Faithful Provision of God

Another beautiful attribute of God on display here that I don’t want us to miss is his faithful provision for his people as he leads them on this journey to return and rebuild. See this repeatedly...

In v6-10, what we just discussed, as he sovereignly stirs the Persians to give these gifts, he is yes showing his authority over hearts but also his faithfulness to provide for his people.

Calling them to this great work, he is providing for them greatly even before they depart.

Also see this throughout all of Chapter 2. I know this was tedious to read and consider for three days, but I wanted you to feel the weight of the family that God called, 42,360 (2:64).

God didn’t just provide for the work financially, he also provided a community for his people.

We see Israelites, we see priests, we see Levites, we see temple servants, singers. God is restoring his people and as he does so, he is providing the leaders and community that will be required for rebuilding.

Lastly, I also see this in v69 - funding for the work. This time, not from the foreigners but from the people themselves.

Freewill offering is given. This is not a tithe, this is not a firstfruits, this is a need is presented and the people in freedom are responding with generosity.

Similar to what we have done here at the church for various projects - Bibles for Kaihura, Raise the Roof, etc.

Did the math on just the Gold, at today’s prices that is $25,067,006.90. Averages out to $591.76/person.

Incredible generosity, God provoking his people to provide faithfully for his mission.

All of this showcases that God knows what is needed and knows precisely how to provide for it. For his people themselves and for his mission and purposes, we can rest confident in God’s ability to faithfully provide, always.

APPLICATION - What does this mean for us? Again, I would call you to the same application as before - faith and prayer. When you encounter real and urgent needs, do the good work of pulling your heart out of anxiety and doubt and worry, to place yourself in faith before God as the one who is able to provide, ask him to. Pray!

I love hearing Anson share the story of the founding of this church. We stand today approaching a decade past the effort and there is much established, but rewind in your minds to the place where it was just an idea. Anson stepped out of a job, benefits, etc -- Heather was pregnant at the time by the way -- into this task. God was faithful each and every moment of the way.

I actually vividly remember, early days, I felt a specific prompting from God to give to Anson. Not to the church, to give to him and Heather. Prayed, did it.

I don’t say that to toot my horn, but to remind us God is a faithful provider. If you are inclined to doubt and worry about the specifics of how the things are going to work out, pull yourself to faith and to prayer. Trusting him!

3. The Mercy of God

Perhaps most dramatically on display here - and most beautiful of all - is the mercy of God underneath what is happening.

There is not one specific verse that I can point to - but rather to the entirety of the story. Here as we start this study, I want to make sure you see clearly and understand how unimaginably undeserved this all was...

Israel was enslaved in Egypt and then gloriously redeemed.

They are graciously provided for with the promised land, beginning with the chronicle of Jericho.

They experienced incredible political power and expansion under the Jewish Monarchy - Saul, David, Solomon.

Then they rebelled against God’s rule over them and lost his blessing cyclically throughout the ages.

To the point they lost the promised land, just as God had warned them of way back in

25 “When you father children and children’s children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, so as to provoke him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.

In that verse, you catch a glimpse of God’s merciful nature, willing to forgive and restore them when they return to him. It is repeated in one other verse that you have to not miss for this book to make sense - .

10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Both of these, the promise of God to be merciful to his people, responding to their return to him with the return of his blessing.

It is not deserved, but it is the merciful nature of God on display.

APPLICATION - What I would not want any of you to miss in applying this to our own lives is that this quality - the mercy of God - remains a part of His immutable, unchanging nature. He is the same God today as he was here, and though he certainly will not bless sin, and will not prevent the consequences of sin from happening… he is merciful to forgive it and to restore his people afterwards.

If there is hard sin in your life, if there is destruction in the midst of your life as a result of sin… Know this - the Lord is able and willing to be merciful to you as well.

My advice is to repent and return to the Lord, that He might do the restoring. Repentance from sin means a full changing of the mind, I was wrong, I messed up, I own my failures and I do not excuse them away in self-defense. I turn from them and turn to you.

Big Theme Development

Similarities with Exodus. Anyone see this? This is a big deal, don’t miss it - keep paying attention to it. It is one of the reasons why I wanted us to study this book this semester...

Three similarities that I see...

God calling his people to the promised land.

God providing riches from “the captors” to take to the promised land.

God fulfilling his promises of redemption for his people. God’s faithfulness on display.

God’s sovereignty over nations.

God’s faithfulness to his word.

Restoration of God’s people.