Stirred by God
The Purpose and Plan of God • Sermon • Submitted
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· 40 viewsGod seeks to stir His people to do the work He has called them to.
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1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,
2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6 And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.
7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods; 8 and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. 9 This is the number of them: thirty gold platters, one thousand silver platters, twenty-nine knives, 10 thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a similar kind, and one thousand other articles. 11 All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Intro
Intro
The Freedom Tower
Most people alive on September 11, 2001, remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news that the twin towers had collapsed.
The footage of passenger jets crashing into those towers still seems somberly surreal.
Immediately after the attack, the New York City skyline appeared empty. Although the Empire State Building and scores of other skyscrapers still stood, the cavity where the twin towers had once stood seemed to be all one could see.
...
But America began to rebuild. Less than five years later, construction on the Freedom Tower began.
It would be different than the twin towers; this would only be ONE tower. And it would be taller than the original towers; the Freedom Tower stands 1,776 feet tall - a reminder of the year freedom began to ring. And it took just over eight years to build. Such a marvel rose from the ashes of an attack.
Some of the children of Israel remembered what it was like to worship God in the Temple Solomon built. But they also remembered the dark day when Babylon stormed into their city with swords swinging, destroyed the Temple, and captured the people.
But after decades of captivity, God stirred the heart of a heathen king named Cyrus to give God’s people permission to rebuild God’s house.
This Temple was different than the first. It was not as expensive and not as expansive. But it would be the place where God’s people could once again meet with their God.
Although the enemy destroyed the house of God, the enemy could not destroy their faith in God.
And there was a stirring that began...
God stirred the hearts of unbelievers and believers alike to spark a revival of righteousness and a relationship with Him.
Contemplating the Topic
Children are incredibly impressionable. For the most part, they accept what they see and hear as true.
Around ages 13-21 we develop strong friendships and peer groups. We are influenced by these relationships as well as by media. Overall, our values and principles are set. We are basically who we will always be.
Psychologists say that barring a significant emotional event that stirs us deeply, we are not likely to change much. The death of a loved one, a major illness, or catastrophic event can drastically alter our thinking, behavior, and actions.
In the Kingdom of God, a significant spiritual event can stir us so deeply that we also change our thinking, behavior, and actions...
This is what happened to Cyrus in the Book of Ezra.
Something… something happened to Cyrus.
King Cyrus Was Stirred
King Cyrus Was Stirred
Awakened
The Book of Ezra details the story of the Jewish people leaving Babylon and coming back into the Promised Land.
Because of the sin of the people, the Lord had allowed the Babylonians to defeat Israel and take her out of the Promised Land. The Book of Lamentations tells us of the deep longing of the people to return to the land God had given them.
And although during this time of exile the Jewish people were treated well, they still had a desire to return home.
During this time the Jews began to return to the writings of Moses and the prophets in an effort to understand what had gone wrong. And in so doing, hope was stirred in them once again.
Out of the Word of God, they found a reason to be stirred by God and to let their faith rekindle!
In the writings of the prophet Isaiah, some 150 years before, the Lord had prophesied of Cyrus and said:
28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
He further said in Isaiah 45:13...
13 I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will direct all his ways;
He shall build My city
And let My exiles go free,
Not for price nor reward,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Obviously, the Hebrews would have been excited to hear that a ruler named Cyrus was in charge of Babylon. Their hearts would have jumped within them at the knowledge of what God was doing on their behalf!
And this is what is interesting...
Ezra 1:1 tells us that the Lord stirred up Cyrus.
It was not something Cyrus contrived or planned on his own. The word stirred literally means “to awaken.”
In other words, the Lord was awakening Cyrus to his God-given purpose of why he was ruling over Babylon. It was the hand of God working on him to affect the rebuilding of the Temple and the release of His people.
God has always had a plan and a purpose for His people!
And at critical times in history, He awakened people to His purpose!
I would like to ask you today: What purpose might God awaken you to as to why He has you where you are right now???
King Cyrus Made a Proclamation
Now, whether Cyrus was a true worshiper of Jehovah or not, we really don’t know.
But we do know that he responded to God stirring him.
In verses 2-4, he proclaims:
2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3 Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4 And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
King Cyrus acknowledged 5 specific things:
The Lord God of Heaven has spoken.
The Lord has appointed him to build a Temple for the Lord in Jerusalem.
He was freeing any Jewish exile to return home, if they desired to do so.
He ordered those who returned to be involved in the rebuilding of the Temple.
He encouraged those who did not wish to return to be supportive of the project financially.
As much as I can read into the scriptures here, Cyrus reacted, responded, and followed what God wanted exactly to a tee.
In our own lives, we need to do the things God has stirred us to do.
LISTEN: There are times in which God moves on us greatly to take action in the Spirit! It is TIME TO RESPOND, NOT HOLD BACK!!!
We need to be bold in our faith and know God is using us for the greater good of His kingdom!
When we do, we also will see the blessings of the Lord, just as Cyrus did!
God Charged Cyrus to Build a Temple in Jerusalem
The job that Cyrus was given by God would seem rather strange for a Persian king to undertake. Building a Temple for a God the Persians did not worship in a city that was a holy city for the Jewish people had to seem an odd request.
But God knew exactly what He was doing!
We can rest assured that every promise and prophecy of God will come to pass!
At times, He may use the most unlikely of people and circumstances, but He will honor His Word!
When we discovered that we were going to have a baby, it wasn’t completely out of the blue - God had made a promise! There had been a Word spoken! God was simply doing what He said He would! He had already stirred us!
The kingdom of God will be built as people respond to His stirrings, prompting them to do great things for Him!
You say, “Well, I don’t feel God stirring me.” Then maybe you need to stir up yourself!
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Cyrus was responding to the Spirit of the Lord impressing upon him to free the Jewish people.
God Can Stir the Hearts of Unbelievers
Many times in the Word of God, we see the Lord moving in the lives of people who don’t serve Him to help fulfill His purpose. He has the ability to soften the hardest heart! He can cause paradigm shifts to alter their thinking, behavior, and actions.
In our text, Cyrus was moved on by the Spirit of the Lord and his heart was stirred. In response, he acted upon what God asked him to do.
Sometimes, you need God to show you a new angle. Even for US, who are already living for Him, sometimes we need a new vision on serving Him. And we need a new view of what HE sees, instead of what WE see!
Ezekiel 11:19 says:
19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,
Remember how we learned that the word stirred means “to awaken”? We know God can awaken even the heart that is far from Him.
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
This shows us that the Lord is always willing to stir the hearts of unbelievers!
Can I tell you that God has stirred the hearts of people in our community in the last week???
The Israelites Were Stirred
The Israelites Were Stirred
A People Awakened
We know the Israelites were also awakened out of being spiritually lethargic.
5 Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.
Notice the words rose up. This means they had been awakened and were responding.
If you are going to respond to God, it means that there needs to be movement underway. Just like when you came to an altar or raised your hands the FIRST TIME you ever responded to Him.
For seventy years they had been in captivity - seventy long years of a little more hope disappearing each day, seventy years of slowly forgetting who they were in God!
But with the decree of Cyrus, hope revived within them, and they were stirred to return to their homeland!
They knew it would not be an easy task.
They were well aware that the cities of their land now laid in ruins and would have to be rebuild.
It would take commitment and sacrifice to rebuild the Temple and their homes.
But the Spirit of the Lord had stirred them, and they had to respond!
And it all started with ONE… DECREE. A decree by King Cyrus.
I mean to tell you that the hand of God works SWIFTLY.
I’m talking about THE SWIFT HAND OF GOD.
When He begins to move, you can’t completely be ready for it!
They Unified and Gathered What Was Needed to Build the Temple
Having a desire alone to respond to God is not enough. It takes action to see the plan and purpose of God come to pass.
If the Temple was going to be rebuilt, it was going to take money and resources. The Israelites did not waver at the prospect of how difficult it would be or at how much they would have to sacrifice.
If God had chosen to, He could have miraculously reconstructed the Temple before the Israelites returned.
Instead, He chose to use them and the resources they had to do the work.
It is the same for the church today. God still works through His people and what He has blessed them with to accomplish His work!
God wants to use what YOU have!
The Jews began to gather vessels of silver and gold. They added property that they had, as well as their animals and other valuables.
They were willing to give all to see the Temple rebuilt. They did not reserve things selfishly but gave it gladly to the work of the Lord.
They realized that the things they were giving were first of all given to them by God. They were willing to use their blessings to be a blessing!
“I want to see revival, but I don’t have much to work with...”
God wants YOUR personality! He wants YOUR abilities! He wants YOUR sacrifice!
God didn’t decide to use that person down the road for this - HE CHOSE YOU!!!
And you DO have what it takes, or He wouldn’t have chosen you!
See, that was Moses’s argument: “I don’t have what it takes.” But God said, “I AM.” In other words, “I AM what it takes!”
Worship Was Restored
After the Israelites gathered their resources, Cyrus ordered that the things that had been taken from the house of the Lord during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar should be returned to the people.
Talk about miraculous provision!
These items included 30 chargers of gold, 1,000 charges of silver, 29 knives, 30 basins of gold, 410 silver basins, and 1,000 other vessels (See Ezra 1:9-10).
These were items originally used in the Temple for sacrifice and worship. Can you imagine the joy they had to feel when they once again saw the items that were so valuable to them?
The worship that had been lost to them in captivity would now be restored to them in their freedom. Their identity as the people of Jehovah would be solidly reestablished with their return to Jerusalem.
God Can Stir the Hearts of Believers
Just as God can stir the hearts of unbelievers, He can also stir the hearts of believers. His greatest works can be done through a group of believers who want to do something great for Him.
Regardless of how long we have lived for Him, we must stay sensitive to the moving of His Spirit. The Word of God is filled with accounts of believers who allowed themselves to be stirred by God.
The condition of the world demands that the church be salt and light.
Salt MATTERS in food flavor.
OPTIONAL ILLUSTRATION: I’ll never forget the first time I ate dinner with my in-laws. They LOVE to salt their food!
And water can become stagnant.
OPTIONAL ILLUSTRATION: If we try to baptize somebody in stagnant water, they may end up catching more than the Holy Ghost!
We can’t afford to become stagnant in our Holy Ghost. If we become stagnant, then souls will be lost.
Without a continual stirring of the Spirit, our local assemblies will be little more than places to gather with no real purpose.
In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul admonished Timothy to stir up the gift of God. He was telling him that he needed to continue allowing God to move on him and through him. This is done by staying true to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and worship.
Each of us has a responsibility to keep the work of the Spirit fresh in our lives.
The Foundation Was Laid
The Foundation Was Laid
A Monumental Occasion
Two years after the Jews returned to Jerusalem, Ezra 3 tells how the foundation of the Temple was finally laid.
It was a monumental occasion for these Jews who had returned from exile.
OPTIONAL ILLUSTRATION: I want you to think about our country going to war. And we lose. And the country that takes over tears down all churches. And for years, we go without this. And then one day, God brings us victory. And He enables us to start building back our church! That’s like what was happening, here!
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord:
“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”
Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
From the laying of the foundation they offered worship to God!
It would be some time before the work would be completed, but they wanted to assure that God was given praise and thanksgiving for what He had begun in their midst!
The Reaction Was Mixed
Now, although everyone worshiped as the foundation was completed... the overall reaction was mixed...
The sounds of worship were quickly divided between weeping and shouting...
12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet 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 sound was heard afar off.
God Wants to Complete His Word Through Us
We need to be careful not to make the same mistake they did. They had forgotten the foundation of the past that would allow them to even be able to build this Temple in the first place. Others were weeping over what used to be.
May God help us to never forget the incredible things He has done for us in the past.
We must never forget every victory and triumph God has brought into OUR lives.
But at the same time… neither do we need to fall into forgetfulness of the incredible price that has been paid and the sacrifices that were made to get us to where we are today.
The rich heritage of the church needs to always be in the forefront of our mind and spirit!
We need to hold onto the foundations of biblically sound doctrine and separation that have marked and identified the church through the years!
Our elders stood for these principles and built upon the sure foundation of God’s Word!
But don’t forget! - In Ezra 3 there were some on that day who were weeping over what had been, but they did not see the power of what God was presently giving them.
BOTH GROUPS NEEDED A SPIRITUAL PARADIGM SHIFT AND TO BE STIRRED… BY… GOD!!!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Internalizing the Message
God is looking for unity and a hunger in our spirits for the things of God.
We must understand that one hand will always be tied to our past heritage. That is where our true foundation lies. Without it we have nothing to build upon.
AND - one hand will always be tied to the future.
The future is where our hope rests. Without it we have no reason to build anything in the first place.
It is the right now that God is concerned with. He will stir us in an effort to keep us focused on the task at hand!
Listen to the power in these verses speaking of the temple...
6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. 8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. 9 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
May God help us to realize that He has a work for His church to do today!
Thank God for yesterday - but what about TODAY?!
Thanks God for prophecies of the future - but what about TODAY?!
The hand of God is upon us to be a part of His work TODAY!!!
