Ezra Pt 7: The Local Assembly
Notes
Transcript
8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. 10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
Introduction
A Survey of Pastors was done to gauge the top qualities of Church members that contributed to a healthy local Church assembly. Here are the top 10
1. Bible knowledge. Church members are increasing in their grasp of the teachings of the Bible. They can integrate this with a theological system that enables them to apply the Bible's teachings to their life situation.
2. Personal devotions. Members spend time daily in prayer, Bible reading, meditation, and other personal spiritual exercises.
3. Worship. Members regularly participate in the worship services scheduled by the church.
4. Witnessing. Members regularly attempt to share their faith in Jesus Christ with unbelievers.
5. Lay ministry. The lay people of the church are engaged in such ministries as teaching and discipling. In some cases this happens through consciously discovering, developing, and using their spiritual gifts.
6. Missions. The church actively supports missions, organizing and sustaining a strong program for recruiting, sending, and financing home and foreign missionaries.
7. Giving. Members give an appropriate portion of their income to the local church and/or to other Christian causes.
8. Fellowship. Members are growing in their personal relationships with each other through regular participation in church fellowship groups of one kind or another.
9. Distinctive life-style. Members generally manifest their faith in Christ by living a life-style clearly and noticeable distinct from that of non-Christians in the same community.
10. Attitude toward religion. Church members regard their involvement in the church primarily as a service to God rather than a means to fulfill personal needs.
Now, if I was to try and condense this down into what should make a local Church and its members tick.
If I was to state simply the core functions of the local assembly, I would break it down into these 3
Work, Worship and Witness.
And as we close out Ezra Chapter 3 this morning, we will examine the local assembly of believers at Jerusalem as see how they measure up in these areas, and see what lessons we can learn for our local assembly today.
firstly then, we will examine the work of the Local Assembly in verses 8-9 of Ezra chapter 3
The Work of the Local Assembly
8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord. 9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
It was a Delayed Work
verse 1 tells this was the second month of the second year of their return from exile
a few verses earlier in verse 6 we read they had built the altar on the seventh month of the first year, and praise God for that !
the verse end with the words “the foundation of the Lord was not yet laid”
6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.
The work had begun, but hadn't continued
Illustration: I’m sure we have all started an important project, and maybe got the first part done, and you have rejoiced at that victory, but you know the work shouldnt stop there, for there is more to do ! Clare will gladly remind me that I am good at this - example of laminate floor in hall and toilet!
The remnant had got the altar built so they could offer burnt sacrfices but they hadn’t moved on with the project
Now there where a few possible reasons for this
they needed the materials
verse 7 tells us about the preparation
and its good to prepare no doubt
they also wanted to keep the feasts
so the first month of the second year would have been pretty busy
if they where to keep the levictal feasts
There may have been reasons why, but the fact of the matter was that the work should of stopped!
Just like I could give loads of reasons why I am only getting round to doing the final bits of my flooring job now
The COVID crisis
The schoooling of the Children
The ministry
It wasnt essential, the rooms where still usable
All good reasons, but none that could truly cover up the fact that I should have got it done ages ago
The work of the local assembly should have continued because it was the work of God!
It was a Desired Work
The work was delayed, but it didn't mean it wasn't a desired work
Sometimes Gods people just need a bit of motivating and organise to get going again
the desire was there for the people, they just needed a gentle push in the right direction
Illustration: Clare and her team meeting - work had slipped, there was still a desire to do good work, just needed reminded of it
This is where Godly leadership is important and those leaders have to step up and do there part
which is what Zerrrubabell and Jeshua(Joshua) do
The work is resumed and we see in verse 9 one of the key words of Ezra
9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
“together”
there was a unity of direction
as well as unity of desire
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
God work, done Gods way bring a unity among the brethern, and where there is unity there is blessing
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard:
That went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
For there the Lord commanded the blessing,
Even life for evermore.
That’s the work of the local assembly, now we move to the worship of the local assembly in verses 10-11 of Ezra chapter 3
The Worship of the Local Assembly
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
It was a Dedicated Worship
Once the foundation was laid the worship began
notice it was ordered - God is a God of order
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
God has also ordered His worship
This doesn't mean that the spirit shouldn't be moving amongst His people
That there can be a freedom in worship to a degree
It means that it should never be a free for all
The worship was dedicated after the ordinace of David
What was that?
Well to find out we go back to 1 Chron Chapter 15 where the ark is brought back by David and the Levites are present playing intsruments
15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord. 16 And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
What a wonderful sound of worship that would have been
and what a wonderful sound it would have been to the remnant in Ezra 3
the trumpets in relation to the gathering of the local assembly and worshipping of the Lord
We of course wait for our own trumpet sound
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
where the Church will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the Air at the rapture
an event that could happen at anytime!
Illustration: I was talking with somebody these week and we where discussing the rapture and how many would be left behind
I wonder if the trumpet was to sound now, would you be left behind?
do you know for sure that your heart belongs to to the Lord?
It was a Declared Worship
The people sang “together” verse 11
prasing and giving thanks to the Lord
no mistake could be made that they were thankful to God for all that He had done
Their praise was not for the people around them but from the God above them
and that's how our worship should be and the world should know it as we declare it
We have looked at the work of local assembly and the worship of the local assembly, finally then we see the witness of the local assembly in verses 12-13 of Ezra chapter 3
The Witness of the Local Assembly
12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
It was a Divided Witness
Here we have the age old problem of comparison
some compared this temple foundation to that of Solomons temple
they compared to the past
oh it wasn't like this in my day, it was much better
now i catch myself doing this as i get older
comparing to the past
Doing this however is futile because it negates the context
and the context is the present not the past
and this should have set the tone
Where had the people been?
What temple had they been worshipping at?
Where they blessed to have any foundation built at all?
Illustarion: how are we to behave today? Coming back to Church post lockdown? It's not the same but I will take any meeting of the body of Christ over none!! Yet some Christians are still staying away from Church, waiting until its back to normal to come back - comparing what it was like before
Those ancient men should have known better
they should of quit whinning and began worshipping
Praising God for His mercy upon them
grabbing with both hands the opportunity to worship and work for the Lord
Oh that all the Churches in this area and across the country would open their doors once again, and the worship would begin, what a witness that would be, to the importance of the local assembly, the body of Christ..
The Lord has given me a verse for the time that we are in
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
We have to know the time, the Lord is at Hand and we have to awake
we have to stop whining and start worshipping, which will power Our witness
It was a Damaging Witness
unfortunaley the noise of the wingers and the worshippers was mingled and so the peoples in the vicinity couldn't discern whether it was Joy or weeping that they where hearing!
You see the witness was damaged
it was effective
they weren't on the same page and the togetherness was lost
and the power was lost
again we don’t have to look to far into today situation to see the potential problems
Illustration: CBC Spalding stays open the other Churches Shut? What is the witness for the Lord if we stand alone? It's damaged - look at those crazies. All the other Churches have got it right, its just them Bible bashers on Carrington road that are the problem
A dammed witness is a defective witness
the depressed and negative voices polluted and corrupted the shouts for Joy
so all the world could here was a drone of noise that had no piercing purpose or power
Conclusion
The Local assembly of Ezra chapter 3
The Work although delayed was desired, and with the right leadership things go back on track
The worship was dedicated and declared giving God all the glory
but the witness was divided and damaged as a result of that division
What are we to learn from this, and to apply to our local assembly?
Well, we have to be mindful that the work continues! We have our mission and we must get on with it. Our reasons for stopping may work with our spouses, but God deserves much better that our token excuses, and he will see right through us anyway
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
We also have to be dedicated in our worship, making sure we are declaring the name of the Lord in all that we do, and one of the ways that we do that is by singing His praises. It’s no coincident that the Church has been muzzzled when it comes to singing worship. We have to declare the name of the Lord folks and they can’t keep us quiet form much longer.
Then finally our witness must not be divided, we have to get back to following God and God alone
25 The fear of man bringeth a snare:
But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
We have to put our trust in God, be united in Him, through His spirit and his word
as Jesus called for us to do
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
As the Assembly of God, we are to make sure our work, our worship and our witness is right, and when the local assembly gets this right, great things will begin to happen for God glory and His kingdom.
Let’s Pray