A Secure Way Back
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· 7 viewsIn God’s wisdom, He has left the church, the collective body of redeemed people, in this world to serve, to reveal himself, and glorify himself.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The book of Ezra kind of repeats itself.
king decrees
finances given
record of who went back was memorialized
the people returned, worshiped
the people experienced problems
We have seen two different decrees, finances given twice
today we are going to see the return of another group of Israelites to Jerusalem
Today - A Secure Way Back
this time they are led by the namesake of the book, Ezra
As we see these patterns in the lives of the Israelites, I am curious if we see any patterns for the church in our own time
Our nation is growing more evil, the youth are leaving the church, we pray God will stop the madness
we convince ourselves that there will be a chance of the madness ending if we elect the right people in government office
so every few years we hear the same things
look what they are doing to our country, we need to stand up, we need to elect christians to office, then we convince ourselves that because they belong to a certain political party, they are christians
Ezra 8:15–36 (CSB)
15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.
16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God.
18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,
19 plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
20 There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”
23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
24 I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.
25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles—the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.
26 I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold,
27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.
28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your ancestors.
29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.”
30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.
32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them.
34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.
36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.
In God’s wisdom, He has left the church, the collective body of believers, in this world to serve, to reveal himself, and glorify himself.
The Missing Servants
The Missing Servants
There are no workers anymore
restaurants are closed, or service is bad because there is nobody working
I stopped at KFC, running out of chicken, reason was only one cook
Ezra 8:15–20 (CSB)
15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.
16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God.
18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,
19 plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
20 There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
Who is missing?
The difference between the priests and the Levites
Why is this important that both would be there
temple servants to ensure that the Law is followed, not just put anyone in there to work
to make sure that the people returning from the Exile look like the nation of Israel
Why would they not want to return?
We do not know for sure,
might be easier to stay where you are
this is the only home that they have known
The Church is missing today
I see the church in the United States cuddling up with the world
concerned more about personal priorities
concerned more about personal opinions
concerned very little about obedience to God
how easy it is to see -
speak to somebody about the great commission, leading others to Jesus, and see hoe quiet they get -
speak to somebody about politics, taxes, Covid-19 and see how loud they get
What the is purpose of the church in the world
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
race = family
priesthood = interceding between man and God
nation = a people different from others
possession = property
purpose
that we would glorify God, that we would point others to Jesus
When confronted, and needed, the Levites join those returning to Jerusalem
It is time for the Church of Jesus Christ to answer the call and perform the duties that they have been called to do
by being louder about worldly matters than we are about Christ we show we are happy where we are and just want to make the world a better place
We are here to show the world who God is and to glorify Jesus
A Humble Bride
A Humble Bride
Oxymoron - arrogant christian
I remember making fun of this term when we were kids
to be honest, I think one of our kids used this term or brought it up the other day, like a child, I called them an oxymoron
Christians should be the last people that we would call arrogant because we realize that we are saved, not because of anything that we have done, but because of the work of Christ on the cross
that we came from dirt, and dirt we would return
who are we that God should love us, save us, allow us to dwell with him forever
it is with that understanding that we have a posture of humility
not just toward God, but also the world
Ezra 8:21–30 (CSB)
21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”
23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
24 I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.
25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles—the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.
26 I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold,
27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.
28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your ancestors.
29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.”
30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
Ezra called the Israelites to fast and pray
what is fasting
sustaining from food for a period of time
there are some that make us feel better, fasting from… but Ezra is speaking about not eating
Getting to a place where you acknowledge that you need God above anything
that you rely on him to give you everything you need
that you desiring the Lord to act in a certain situation because the situation is above anything that you can handle
Fasting without prayer and repentance is a diet
repenting that God is not first
this is what Israel needed to repent of
this is what we constantly need to be cognitive of
it is easy to believe that we can handle things without the Lord
this is something that Israel had done prior to the exile
they made treaties with other nations, relying on their strength and their gods to protect them
now, because Ezra had talked up the Lord so much he was embarrassed to ask for protection
We should be talking up the Lord in such a way that we would look like fools if we did not trust in Him
The Church of Jesus Christ must begin to humble ourselves before God and know that we are to be Holy as he is Holy
Only then will we recognize ourselves as the Bride of Christ
a royal priesthood
a holy nation
a people for his possession
The church is being purified right in front of our eyes
many “celebrity” Christians have come out recently to declare that they are no long Christians
they gained influence quickly, earned a living doing so
now they get more attention and more influence in the world by leaving a faith that the world condemns
We must humble ourselves and seek the will of God
not use God as a means to get what we desire
not use God as a prop for our political ideology
Only when the church humbles itself, returns to the Lord and lives out the calling that God has given us, will we see the true mercy of God.
A Merciful God
A Merciful God
I am not God, neither are you
this is good, even the best of us is not merciful
we seek vengeance, revenge
over and over in scripture and in life, we see that our God is truly merciful
he constantly is giving us what we do not deserve,
Think of the Israelites that had been exiled
we can look back and think they deserved that
they disobeyed God
they worshipped other gods
God brought them back to Jerusalem, and it was much more than, “OK, fine, i will let you come back one more time.”
like an angry person reluctantly giving one more chance, but really waiting to punish
Ezra 8:31–36 (CSB)
31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.
32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them.
34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.
36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.
Relying on God, Israel received Mercy from the Lord
Mercy = receiving what you do not deserve
Israel received protection
the road from Babylon to Judah was dangerous
Ezra had talked up the Lord so much that he was embarrassed to as for protection from the king
Israel received rest
rest is a gift, they traveled 900 miles
we are not omnipotent - meaning that we are not all powerful
Israel received the ability to worship
Do we receive these things when we rely on God? Yes, but you cannot turn this eternal truth into a worldly desire.
We are not promised safety in every action in this place
Romans 8 tells us that things work out for the good of those who love God, that nothing can remove us from the Love of God
Jesus promised by coming to him we can have rest for our souls
Worship is only available by the grace of God
we are only able to come to him because of the grace that we have received,
you did not come to him on your own
it is the gift that we will be participating in for eternity
“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we no less days to sing God’s praise then when we first begun.”
Introduction
Introduction
The book of Ezra kind of repeats itself. We see in chapter one that the king decrees that the Israelites can return from exile in Babylon. Not only were the Israelites able to return, but finances given to return and to build the temple that had been destroyed. Now the king had decreed this, but we are told that it is God that roused the spirit of the king, and those living in the land to give to this rebuild project. As you move to chapter two, you see the record of those who returned to Jerusalem, a memorial of sorts, and as they arrive the natural reaction is to worship.
The temple altar and foundation get rebuilt. It was not quite as majestic as the previous temple, which caused the older people, who had seen the previous temple, to weep and mourn. Though it was not as majestic, worship and sacrifices begin. As you can imagine, as soon as you begin to make sacrifices for the Lord, problems arise. Offers of assistance from people that would divide, or water down their worship of the Lord. Causing them to worships other false gods as well. But in it all, God protected them. He did not always remove the issue, or problem, but he was faithfully in it with them.
Now we have seen a different decree, more finances given and today we are going to see the return of another group of Israelites to Jerusalem. The text begins with another memorialized list of people that have returned on this journey. This time they are led by the namesake of the book, Ezra.
As we see these patterns in the lives of the Israelites, I am curious if we see any patterns for the church in our own time. Our nation, the world is growing more evil, the youth are leaving the church, we pray God will stop the madness. We convince ourselves that there will be a chance of the madness ending if we elect the right people in government office. So every few years we hear the same things. Look what they are doing to our country, we need to stand up, we need to elect christians to office, then we convince ourselves, because they belong to a certain political party, they are christians. And that this is God’s only chance at fixing our world.
I believe that God has a plan. I believe that God, though he may use some politicians, has another body that he has tasked with shinning the light of Christ into this dark world. That body is the bride of Christ, the church, a collective body of redeemed people.
15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.
16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God.
18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,
19 plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
20 There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”
23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
24 I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.
25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles—the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.
26 I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold,
27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.
28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your ancestors.
29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.”
30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.
32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them.
34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.
36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.
In God’s wisdom, He has left the church, the collective body of redeemed people, in this world to serve, to reveal himself, and glorify himself.
The Missing Servants
The Missing Servants
There are no workers anymore. Restaurants are closed, or service is bad because there is nobody working. I recently stopped at a KFC. I sat back and watched the interactions between the manager and some customers. They were complaining about the time they had to wait. This manager politely explained that they were out of the certain type of chicken that they were ordering. “This is a chicken place,” they exclaimed. Then he politely explained to them that he had a limited amount of people working. To my count I could see four workers. Two people taking orders, one in the drive through and one at the front counter. He was putting together orders for the front counter and another putting orders together for the drive through. This left him one person to cook all the food. I am not sure how much chicken they go through, but it was the lunch rush. They were out of certain kinds of chicken and they were out of biscuits.
This is just fast food. In the grand scheme of things it is really not that big of a deal. I ate. I did not starve to death and neither did any of the people who were waiting. (As a side note, we should not punish the ones who came to work by screaming at them for others not willing to work.) There is a much larger problem at play here then just some people willing or not willing to work.
15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.
16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
17 I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God.
18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,
19 plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
20 There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
We must understand who is missing. There is a difference between the priests and the Levites. You see both come from the tribe of Levi. If you are familiar with the old testament, Israel had twelve sons that turned to twelve tribes. One of his sons was named Levi. Those who were apart of this line were called Levites. One of the descendents of this line was Aaron, the first priest. God told them all priests were to come from Aaron, but those who work in the temple are to be Levites. Meaning all priests are Levites, but not all Levites are priests.
The question to ask, is why is this important that both would be there? The Levites would assist the priests in all of their work. Preparing and executing the sacrifices, maintaining the temple and the offerings. Ezra noticed that there were no Levites, when he gathered all the people ready to return. Temple servants would help ensure that the Law is followed, not just put anyone in there to work in the temple. Equally important to Ezra was to make sure that the people returning from the Exile look like the nation of Israel.
I wondered why they would not want to return? The truth is we do not know for sure. It does not say. If you allow me, I will speculate for a minute. Maybe it was easier. They have been there for years and years, decades and decades. Sometimes it is easier to stay with the place you know, even if it is not where you belong, than it is to step out in obedience to God. I know that sounds, rough. This is the only home that they had known, eighty years or so after the original exiles returned to Jerusalem.
You could argue that the church is missing today. If we want to say in the world, but I would definitely argue that it is missing in our nation. Why do I say this? I see the the church in the United States cuddling up to the world. We run churches like businesses. Profit and customers are our top priority. Even the customers that we draw, attend based on what is offered to them. Very little is about obedience to the Lord, by either the church or its members.
For so many, the priorities are more political policies, rather than biblical truths. Here is the test. Speak to somebody about politics, tax policy or Covid-19 and you will get a response of some sort. Speak to somebody about the great commission and sharing their faith and people get real quiet. I can only come to the conclusion that we would people rather know our political stances than our Lord and savior.
What the is purpose of the church in the world? If we are not here to win them over politically what is the purpose of the church? It is the same as the Levites, to serve the Lord. Now you might ask or think that you are serving the Lord by sharing your political views, but God has called us to a much higher calling.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God in his infinite wisdom left the church to proclaim his praises. But look how he described us. We are a chosen race, meaning a family. We are not just a random group, the church are the sons and daughters of God. As such, we are also a royal priesthood. We are to intercede between man and God. This does not mean that we are their savior. There is only one man that will ever pay for the sins of man, Jesus Christ. As priests we point others to him in their mess and ask Him to draw them to himself.
race = family
priesthood = interceding between man and God
nation = a people different from others
possession = property
purpose
that we would glorify God, that we would point others to Jesus
by being louder about worldly matters than we are about Christ we show we are happy where we are and just want to make the world a better place
We are here to show the world who God is and to glorify Jesus
A Humble Bride
A Humble Bride
Oxymoron - arrogant christian
I remember making fun of this term when we were kids
to be honest, I think one of our kids used this term or brought it up the other day, like a child, I called them an oxymoron
Christians should be the last people that we would call arrogant because we realize that we are saved, not because of anything that we have done, but because of the work of Christ on the cross
that we came from dirt, and dirt we would return
who are we that God should love us, save us, allow us to dwell with him forever
it is with that understanding that we have a posture of humility
not just toward God, but also the world
21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”
23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
24 I selected twelve of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.
25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles—the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.
26 I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold,
27 twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.
28 Then I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your ancestors.
29 Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the Lord’s house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.”
30 So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
Ezra called the Israelites to fast and pray
what is fasting
sustaining from food for a period of time
there are some that make us feel better, fasting from… but Ezra is speaking about not eating
Getting to a place where you acknowledge that you need God above anything
that you rely on him to give you everything you need
that you desiring the Lord to act in a certain situation because the situation is above anything that you can handle
Fasting without prayer and repentance is a diet
repenting that God is not first
this is what Israel needed to repent of
this is what we constantly need to be cognitive of
it is easy to believe that we can handle things without the Lord
this is something that Israel had done prior to the exile
they made treaties with other nations, relying on their strength and their gods to protect them
now, because Ezra had talked up the Lord so much he was embarrassed to ask for protection
We should be talking up the Lord in such a way that we would look like fools if we did not trust in Him
The Church of Jesus Christ must begin to humble ourselves before God and know that we are to be Holy as he is Holy
Only then will we recognize ourselves as the Bride of Christ
a royal priesthood
a holy nation
a people for his possession
The church is being purified right in front of our eyes
many “celebrity” Christians have come out recently to declare that they are no long Christians
they gained influence quickly, earned a living doing so
now they get more attention and more influence in the world by leaving a faith that the world condemns
We must humble ourselves and seek the will of God
not use God as a means to get what we desire
not use God as a prop for our political ideology
A Merciful God
A Merciful God
I am not God, neither are you
this is good, even the best of us is not merciful
we seek vengeance, revenge
over and over in scripture and in life, we see that our God is truly merciful
he constantly is giving us what we do not deserve,
Think of the Israelites that had been exiled
we can look back and think they deserved that
they disobeyed God
they worshipped other gods
God brought them back to Jerusalem, and it was much more than, “OK, fine, i will let you come back one more time.”
like an angry person reluctantly giving one more chance, but really waiting to punish
31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. We were strengthened by our God, and he kept us from the grasp of the enemy and from ambush along the way.
32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the articles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Meremoth son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui were also with them.
34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
35 The exiles who had returned from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering for the Lord.
36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.
Relying on God, Israel received Mercy from the Lord
Mercy = receiving what you do not deserve
Israel received protection
the road from Babylon to Judah was dangerous
Israel received rest
rest is a gift, they traveled 900 miles
we are not omnipotent - meaning that we are not all powerful
Israel received the ability to worship
Do we receive these things when we rely on God? Yes, but you cannot turn this eternal truth into a worldly desire.
We are not promised safety in every action in this place
Romans 8 tells us that things work out for the good of those who love God, that nothing can remove us from the Love of God
Jesus promised by coming to him we can have rest for our souls
Worship is only available by the grace of God
we are only able to come to him because of the grace that we have received,
you did not come to him on your own
it is the gift that we will be participating in for eternity
“When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we no less days to sing God’s praise then when we first begun.”