The Priority of Worship
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Introduction:
Any of you who have watched the Olympics would know the thematic phrase: “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat.” And as we watch the Olympics we are drawn into the stories of people who have overcome obstacles to become great athletes.
A. Story of Dan Jansen
1. One story that comes to mind immediately is the story of Dan Jansen, and Olympic speed skater
2. In the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Dan was preparing to skate the 500 meters. He was the favorite to win, but earlier that day his sister Jane died of Leukemia.
3. Dan readied himself for the race, but 100 meters into the race he fell, overwhelmed by the grief of his loss.
4. Four days later he would fall again in the 1000m race while on a world record pace.
5. IN his next Winter Olympics in 1992 he competed again in France. He finished a disappointing 4th in the 500m and 26th in the 1000m
6. In his last Winter Olympics in Norway, he was again the favorite to win, but he fell in the last turn of the 500m
7. BUT four days later he would race for gold and set a new world record in the 1000m.
8. He had finally broken free of the cloud of grief that dominated his previous performances.
9. We’ve all experienced it to some degree:
a) The looming cloud of discouragement that inhibits our productivity
b) The weight of grief that obscures our hope and certainty.
c) A personal tragedy that derails our hope and immobilizes our lives
B. Proposition
1. Maybe like Dan Jansen, you are dealing with the recent loss of loved one
2. Maybe you’re facing pressure and discouragement of lost job or financial pressure at home?
3. Maybe you are ill or have a family member who is ill
4. Unanswered prayer
5. Uncontrolled circumstances
6. Family conflict
7. A class that you’re struggling with
8. How can the believer guard himself from the despair of life?
9. What is a believer to do in the face of discouragement and spiritual oppression?
10. What does Scripture say about dealing with discouragement in his life?
11. This morning we’re going to look again at the book of Ezra and observe the children of Israel in this exact scenario.
12. They faced intense pressure and discouragement that immobilized them for a time and rendered them ineffective, but we’re going to see that they eventually had victory.
13. So, this morning we’re going to see How to Have Victory in the Face Discouragement
14. (CH 3) Worship Can be Experienced / (CH 4) Worship can be Extinguished / (CH 5) Worship Can be Renewed
Read Ezra 3:1-2, 4, 6-8, 10-13
Transition: In order to have Victory in the Face of Discouragement we need to see what real worship looks like. We need to know that True Worship Can be Experienced
I. Worship Can Be Experienced (3:1-13)
A. Intro
1. It is clear from this passage that these Jewish exiles who had returned from captivity were starting things off on the right foot.
2. They had made worship of God a priority in their lives.
3. No sooner do they come to Jerusalem than they gather together to build the altar, perhaps waiting only a few weeks to start the project.
4. It is clear that there is enthusiasm, devotion, commitment, and consistency in their lives.
5. How were they able to Experince Worship? What led to their success.
a) Purposeful Worship
b) Obedient Worship
B. Purposeful Worship
1. Transition
a) Read verse 1
b) Ezra wants his readers to understand that there was purpose to their gathering.
c) What seems like spontaneous event was actually driven by purpose.
d) What produced the spark that started this raging fire of worship in these people?
e) We see that spark in verse 1
2. 7th month came:
a) Every God fearing Jew knew that the 7th month was the climax of Jewish Year
b) This was like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. An entire month of preparation and celebration.
(1) In this month were almost half of the Jewish Festivals (3 of the 7) (Festival of Trumpets on the 1st / the Day of Atonement on the 10th / The Feast of Tabernacles from the 15th - 21st
(2) In this month was one of three times when the men were expected to stand before the LORD and make an offering (23:17)
c) God had sovereignly orchestrated the return of the exiles to coincide with this significant month of spiritual activity.
d) They come before the leaders with expectancy, they come seeking worship.
e) APPLICATION: What is it that initiates worship in your heart?
3. NEXT: THEIR PURPOSE OF GATHERING TOGETHER becomes the catalyst for continued activity. The Hebrew text aids our study through this chapter. The main verbs are designated for us (waw consecutive + imperfect)
a) I’m going to identify the main verbs in our text this morning. Let me encourage you to circle the main verbs as we briefly move through
(1) vs 1 - The people gathered (ESV) as one man to Jerusalem
(2) vs 2 - Then arose (ESV) Jeshua and Zerubbabel
(3) vs 2 - They built (ESV) the altar of the God Israel
(4) vs 4 - They kept (ESV) the Feast of Booths
(5) vs 7 - So they gave money (ESV) to the masons and carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea
(6) vs 8 - They appointed (ESV) the Levites to supervise the work of the house of the LORD
(7) vs 9 - And Jeshua and his sons and his brothers . . . together supervised (ESV) [arose to oversee - NKJV] the workmen in the house of God
(8) vs 10 - And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward (ESV) [stood in their apparel - NKJV] with trumpets and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals
(9) vs 11 - And they sang responsively (ESV) [literally - they answered]
b) Notice the progression, one act of obedience leads to another.
c) Their purpose in coming to Jerusalem was honored and it led them to THRILLING WORSHIP.
d) Their objective was set / Worship was a priority
e) NOTICE: These were motivated people
f) NOTICE: These were unified people
g) NOTICE: These were devoted people
h) NOTICE: These were worshipful people
4. APPLICATON: Worship does not happen in a vacuum. It must be stimulated. It takes effort.
5. ILLUSTRATION: There was a time when I struggled with consistency in my prayer life. The reason was because I didn’t make it a priority. I only prayed when I had time, and most of my days were so busy, that the time never came. All of that changed when I set aside a specific time for prayer. And that one act of purpose has made all the difference.
6. BUT their PURPOSEFUL worship had to work in conjunction with OBEDIENCE
7. All the emotion they could muster, if directed inappropriately, could not merit God’s approval.
C. Obedient Worship
1. Their obedient worship can be seen throughout chapter 3.
2. vs 2 - “they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses.”
a) They put first things first.
b) The altar was the centerpiece of Jewish worship
c) By means of the altar, the covenant was honored, sin was atoned for, fellowship with God was restored, feasts were celebrated, peace offerings were made.
d) Their burnt offerings on this altar marked their dedication to God. Their complete commitment to Him.
e) The altar was imperative for proper worship, and
f) And not only did they built it just as God prescribed (Ex27:1-8)
g) They placed it in the exact location of the previous altar. (vs 3) “they set the altar in its place”
h) This was a token of their obedience, and it was a token of their commitment to live as renewed people, as spiritual people
3. vs 4 - “And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required.”
a) Feast of Booths / Tabernacles / Ingathering - Celebrated from the 15th-21st of the month and required them to live in tents for 7 days.
b) Imagine a group of people who have just made a 1000 mile journey on foot. Who have just lived in tents for the last 5-6 months. And who have just showed up in Jerusalem, most for the first time.
c) What do you think is fresh on their minds? Certainly their own journey, but also its similarity to the EXODUS.
d) Reminder that they are God’s covenant people.
e) Reminder of God’s provision and preservation.
f) And this Feast of Booths motivates them for continued obedience.
g) They give money to the temple and lay the foundation for it.
4. vs 10 - “And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel.” (ESV)
a) Even their thanksgiving was directed by God’s law.
b) God’s Word was their guide. God’s Law provided the instruction and direction for their enthusiasm. Their actions were moved by the Law. They were exemplary Jews living by God’s standard.
5. APPLICATION: In our daily activities, whose rulebook are you following? Company policies, the Survival Guide to Success, or God’s Word? Whose standard do you uphold?
6. These Jews were off to a great start. Their PURPOSEFUL worship was working in concert with their OBEDIENT WORSHIP and it produced THRILLING results.
7. We see at the end of chapter 3 that there was such a shout of praise, such exuberance, that the sound was heard far away.
D. Transition
1. But the excitement and enthusiasm was about to change.
2. The immediate, and somewhat trouble-free success they experienced would become their undoing.
3. Their WORSHIP would quickly turn sour
Read Ezra 4:1-4, 23
Transition: If you want to have Victory in the Face of Discouragement then you need to know that it can be Experienced, but you also need to see the power of discouragement up close and personal. You need to know that Worship Can be Extinguished.
II. Worship Extinguished (Ezra 4:1-4, 24)
A. Transition
1. There’s a lot of things we could talk this morning from this passage
2. But the one thought that is central is the idea that Discouragement is Powerful
3. The Target of Satan’s attacks
a) If you don’t get anything else in this message, I want to you to see what Satan targets. What is his primary objective? To disrupt our worship.
b) We’ll look at this more next time. But during the years of construction delay, the people will turn to their own comfort.
c) They will build their own houses, and grow their own crops. And they will do this unhindered
d) You see, Satan doesn’t care if we’re successful, he doesn’t mind if we are prominent, he doesn’t care if we’re satisfied, just as long as it doesn’t translate into devotion to God.
e) His primary objective is to disrupt our worship and he accomplishes this objective most often through discouragement.
B. The Power of Discouragement
1. The Theme of chapter 4 is failure.
2. What we find in 4 short verses demonstrates a complete turn of events. The Worship that was Experienced in chapter 3 has been disrupted.
a) The dismantling of Israel’s unity
b) The deflating of their enthusiasm
c) The rupture of their faith in God
d) The distraction of their unified purpose
e) The disintegration of their leadership
f) The abandonment of their building campaign
3. The Success of their previous endeavors almost becomes a forerunner of their doom.
a) Think of it, up until this point, everything was going their way.
b) God had powerfully raised up Cyrus, had called him by name, had caused him to make a proclamation
c) They had felt God moving in their own hearts to go to Jerusalem
d) They had experienced the unity of building an altar
e) They shouted for joy at the building of the temple foundation.
f) And in large measure the success they experienced became their undoing.
g) Things were going so well. God was working in such a powerful way.
h) BUT now, what is this?
i) Now they are confronted with the full arsenal of their adversary. They are met with the onslaught of the enemy.
j) And for 18 years they will be defeated. From the 2nd year of Cyrus’ reign over Babylon until the 2nd year of Darius’ reign they will abandon their objective. They will be completely immobilized.
4. DISCOURAGE (hp;r;)
a) Verse 4 describes the strategy of the people of the land.
b) The main verb of this section is DISCOURAGE
c) Hebrew word for DISCOURAGE
d) “sink, relax, let drop, loosen, weaken, become feeble, dishearten, (BDB) to hang limp, be feeble, be in a state of lacking power or force (DBL)” Piel active participle (Qal form does exist, thus Piel is intensive) [intensive verb with enduring and sustained quality]
e) Same as the expression - “my heart sank”
f) They were completely immobilized, paralyzed, without power to even lift a hammer.
g) All the strength is gone. The wind which filled the sails and carried along the ship is now still and the sails are drawn and the ship is motionless.
5. The SCOPE of discouragement
a) It was discouragement that crippled the entire nation
b) It infiltrated every individual from small to great.
c) It lasted for 18 years.
d) It came to a people who were devoted / unified / obedient / successful
C. ILLUSTRATION
1. In 1945 two men teamed up with Youth for Christ to evangelize America, Canada and England. One named Chuck Templeton and the other named Billy Graham.
2. Many predicted that Templeton, not Graham, would become the biggest evangelical preacher in history.
3. Templeton was dynamic, within 6 months of beginning ministry and planting his first church, Templeton filled a church of 1200 on a Sunday night.
4. Templeton’s influence grew like wildfire, but as it did, the attacks of Satan began.
a) His brand new church was destroyed by an arson fire in March 1944
b) He wrestled with doubts in his own life, questioning the deity of Christ
c) He suffered severe chest pains at age 35 leaving him short of breath, with a tightness in his chest and a numbness radiating to his forearms and hands.
5. Meanwhile his ministry continued to flourish
a) Stories about his campaigns were appearing in every newspaper.
b) The headline read: “I have just seen the man who's giving religion a brand-new look;
He is winning converts at an average of 150 a night
He is booked two years ahead, and observers who have closely followed his progress say that Templeton has not yet begun to hit his stride...”
6. But as Templeton read these articles he debated with himself whether or not he should quit the ministry. Doubt overwhelmed him. Discouragement bore down on his life.
7. And in 1957, continued doubt and health issues eventually drove him from the pulpit, causing him to abandon the ministry and eventually label himself an agnostic.
8. (http://www.templetons.com/brad/cbt.html) http://www.templetons.com/charles/memoir/chap2.html)
9. Discouragement had Extinguished his ministry and his Worship
D. BIBLICAL EXAMPLE
1. And in case you think this example is just a fluke, think for a moment about the life of Elijah
2. 1 Kings 17-19 Records the dramatic events of Elijah’s life.
3. Used by God to stop rain for 3 years
4. God gives him victory over 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah on Mount Caramel
5. God honors Elijah’s sacrifice by sending fire from heaven which consumed offering, the wood, the stones, the dust and the water in a miraculous display of power and a mighty demonstration of God’s support for Elijah
6. Elijah then prays to God and God answers by bringing rain again to Israel
7. Elijah in an amazing feat of energy and endurance outruns Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel. A 25 mile sprint - I would have loved to get the time of that marathon.
8. At this point, Elijah is on the greatest spiritual high of his life
9. BUT the next morning we find him running again, only this time, Elijah is running for his life from queen Jezebel and asking God to let him die
10. THE POINT: Discouragement is quite often the result of Satan’s attacks, not just the result of sin in our lives.
11. Discouragement is Satan’s weapon to derail our devotion to God and to render us ineffective.
E. CONTINUED BIBLICAL SUPPORT
1. The Apostle Paul
a) Paul was no stranger to discouragement either.
b) There is perhaps no better picture of his grief than his words to Timothy at the end of his life.
c) 2 Tim 4:9 à “For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world”
d) 2 Timothy 4:16 - “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me . . .”
2. Believers are promised discouragement
a) What makes us any different from Paul and Elijah?
b) What makes us think that we should be exempt when they were not?
c) Paul instructs Timothy (2 Tim 2:3)- “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”
d) Later in the same chapter he exhorts Timothy (2 Tim 3:12) - “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
e) Peter reinforces this message 1 Peter 4:12-19 - “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed . . . ”
F. Nature of Discouragement
1. So, how are we to respond to discouragement? How do we combat this weapon of the adversary
2. I wish I could tell you this morning that there was a Biblical formula for eliminating the threat of discouragement in your life.
3. I wish I give you a fail-safe way to avoid the looming cloud of doubt and fear that the enemy seeks to plunge us into.
4. But no such formula exist in Scripture
5. Let me draw you attention back to the text and briefly explain why I skipped over verses 6-23.
a) In these verses we see the mention of two new kings. One Ahasuerus (vs 6) and the other Artaxerxes (vs 7).
b) An initial reading of this chapter may lead one to conclude that these letters where actually the impetus behind the stop of the work.
c) In these letters are accusations against Judah and Jerusalem.
d) In these letters are complaints about the building of the city and the walls.
e) They request that the king investigate the history of this people and respond by discontinuing the work.
f) Verse 21 The king makes his decree - “Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me”
g) Verse 23 - the men jump into action à “When the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in hast to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.”
6. At first glance this appears to be the reason for the stoppage of work.
7. But who was king when the work stopped (verse 4)?
8. Who was the king when the work began (verse 5 and 24)?
9. So why does Ezra mention letters that were written to kings who came after Darius?
10. One who wouldn’t be king for 50 years and the other who wouldn’t be king for 75 years?
11. THE POINT: Is that Israel must learn to accomplish God’s objective in the midst of persecution, in the midst of discouragement, not exempt from it. Israel must carry the torch of God’s light into the darkness; they must bear his name and honor his commands in spite of intimidation, fear and discouragement.
Transition: In order to have Victory in the face of Discouragement we’ve observed that Worship can be Experienced, and we’ve seen Worship can be Extinguished, but if we’re going to have victory we need to know that Worship can also be Renewed.